Something Wicked
by Huntress of Light
Summary: *Sequel to "In Her Grasp"* Two months after returning to the city, our four favorite heroes seem to be content with life. Until one of them stumbles upon something he can't quite explain. And the girl he meets isn't helping matters either. What happens when Shredder hears about her special ablilities? Will he be after her the same way he's after Sloan? Will her family be safe?
1. The Start

**Why hello everybody! I know I was supposed to post this on Halloween, but life (and a funeral) got in the way. So, here it is! The sequel to "In Her Grasp"! I hope you all like this story as much as it's predecessor. It kind of starts out pretty fast, but it'll get better. And yes, I got my inspirarion for this one watching movies like _Practical Magic _and _Hocus Pocus_. ABCFamily's 13 nights of Halloween were on this past month, don't judge me! Okay, here we go. Enjoy!**

* * *

Claire Blackwood lay with her head hanging off the edge of her bed, studying her trigonometry homework. Well, she wasn't _really_ studying; she was simply reading over it. Again. It was a welcome relief from what her aunts wanted her to study.

_That_ wasn't practical for the modern world. It couldn't be used in a job situation, neither could she put it as an ability on an application or resumé. She tried as much as she could to stay away from it all.

Her sister Ella, on the other hand, excelled in it. She could make lotions and salves and soaps out of anything, and she often produced medicines for their neighbors in their apartment complex.

Claire's abilities were different. She didn't make medicine. She couldn't help people, only herself. It was only a few things here and there, but it almost always ended up badly for someone else. She hated it. She hated that no matter how careful she was, her abilities seemed to only lead to destruction and pain.

At least, that was what it felt like to her. Her aunts and sister assured her that that wasn't the case. They told her that hers and Ella's parents died because of a freak accident, not because she'd only recently discovered what she could do. Even still, she would not participate in her family's activities.

"Claire, dear," her Aunt Beatrice called up the stairs. "Dinner's ready!"

Groaning in apprehension, Claire shut the math book and rolled off her bed, landing gracefully on her knees. On her way out, she passed the mirror hanging in her closet. She made a face at her unruly, curly brown hair and scrunched up her nose, then made her way down the stairs to the dining room. The entire way she was mentally preparing herself for the onslaught of her aunts. After dinner would be the other half of her daily instruction.

When she walked into the room, her Aunt Alice was stirring the large pot on the stove, and she breathed a soft sigh of relief. Today's lesson would focus on what Ella was good at – potions.

Claire sat down next to her twin and looked at Aunt Beatrice expectantly. Beatrice snapped her fingers and the plates of food flew from the counter to the table, along with a large pitcher of apple cider. Immediately, Claire and Ella loaded up their plates with food and began to eat. Alice and Beatrice joined them, both talking about that night's lesson.

"Maybe we should change the lesson," Beatrice began hesitantly. "Ella is already well-practiced in this. Claire needs to practice."

"Agreed," Alice said around her mouthful of potatoes. She, too, snapped her fingers and an ancient-looking candelabra floated over and settled in the middle of the table. "Claire, light these candles."

Claire glared at her coarser aunt and took a bite of her chicken. "Okay. Where are the matches."

Beatrice sighed and placed a comforting hand on her niece's. Claire could feel the power radiating from that wizened hand.

"Please, dear, you don't need to hide from what you are. Your abilities do not cause bad things to happen, I promise you." She smiled sweetly, her gray eyes crinkling around the edges.

Claire gave her aunt a dubious look and set down her fork, her own gray eyes growing hard. "Fine."

She focused hard on the candles in their holder, paying particular attention to the wicks. She began to think about anything hot – lava, the desert, fire. She inhaled and pursed her lips and blew towards the candles, and they erupted into small flames. Her aunts and sister applauded her, as if it were some great accomplishment.

It wasn't. She'd been able to do that since she was seven. For ten years, she barely practiced her magic. Unlike her sister, who forwent her actual schooling for learning herbs and medicines, Claire focused on _real_ school. She knew that it would help her more in the modern world than the little tricks she could do.

"You should practice more, darling," Alice told her. "It'll come in handy one day."

"We've been over this, Aunt Alice," Claire countered. "It really won't. Can't we just drop it?"

"Dear, your sister – "

"What _she_ can do could actually be used in today's society. _My_ abilities absolutely _can't._"

"Now that's not –"

"I'm done talking about this," Claire announced, forcing her chair back from the table and heading for her room. She couldn't understand why her aunts pushed her to do magic so much. She honestly didn't see any practicality in it, other than showing off at Halloween. She climbed out onto the fire escape outside her window and put her legs through the wide metal bars, gripping them in her hands and resting her head against them. The cool autumn breeze ruffled her hair and raised goosebumps on her bare arms. She didn't feel it, though. She was too busy staring out at the city skyline before her.

Looking at the city lights always calmed her mind. The lights, coupled with the sleek designs of the skyscrapers, helped her to refocus. There was so much science there, so much math and architecture. So much infallible, undeniable, critical information before her. It was what she lived for. There was no room for magic in math and science.

She sighed as she heard the familiar whispering behind her. She hesitated to turn, but something compelled her to anyway.

"Well, come here then."

Her little black cat made its way out onto the fire escape and settled on her lap, turning his unique violet eyes up to her. His name was Salem – hey, just because she was a witch didn't mean that she couldn't have a sense of humor about it. Her sister even had a golden owl named Hecate. Claire tried to ignore it, but the cat pulled at her mind, drawing her in.

_Claire, why won't you listen to your aunts?_

"I'm not talking to you, Salem."

The cat – her familiar – _meow_ed and rubbed his head against her leg.

_You can't ignore your powers forever_, his voice echoed in her mind. _They won't be bottled up_.

She sighed exasperatedly through her nose. She hadn't been able to stop her aunts from giving her the little cat. Their reasoning had been that every witch needed a familiar, and that both she and her twin receive one on their thirteenth birthday. Claire had tried her hardest not to pay attention to the kitten as he'd softly called to her...but she was a witch, and a witch was drawn inexplicably to her familiar. Now, Salem frequently comforted her and helped her, but he still pushed her towards her natural magic.

She scooped him up and held him to her, and he nuzzled her cheek.

"I know," she finally answered. "There's something that keeps telling me to practice it...but I can't tell what it is yet. It's like the magic can't wait to get outside me, but I have to hold it in for now."

Salem gave her a confused look and _meow_ed again. Claire laughed and scratched him behind his ears.

"Yeah, I don't understand it either." She let him climb onto his favorite perch on her shoulders, wrapping his tail loosely around her neck. "I guess all I can do is trust my aunts for now."

Salem butted her neck and purred. She took that as a 'good for you' and climbed back inside, making her way downstairs for the lesson.

…

Across town and a few hundred feet below the surface, Donnie was trying to work. It was getting increasingly hard to do so, because their home seemed to be so full of noise lately. Mikey could often be heard playing with Emily and Sloan would sometimes play her violin. Raphael and Leonardo were both getting more rambunctious, Raph because he didn't have Hannah to mellow him out and Leo because he was getting increasingly more nervous the closer Sloan got to her due date. She was at seven months now, and her mother's old clothes had stopped hiding the baby bump.

In the moments of peace that he had, Don could be found in his lab, drawing up plans for new inventions or working on commissions from investors. Which happened to be most of the time. Mikey and Sloan were worried about him. They were afraid that he was deliberately distancing himself from his family. The only times anyone saw him were if they caught him getting his morning coffee, or at daily _katas_.

The truth was he just was too busy to do anything else. He had numerous investors lined up, wanting him to test their softwares. Every day he sat at his computer screen and tested and re-tested programs and firewalls. He kept telling himself that it was for his family, but that was hard to do when they were all trying to get him out of the lab. He felt guilty for pulling away from them – especially from Michelangelo – but it had to be done.

He stopped typing on his keyboard and swung around in his chair as he heard a knock on his door. Leonardo stuck his head in.

"Hey, bro, Sloan's got dinner ready."

Don blinked as he realized he'd worked the entire day away, and he hadn't even emerged for lunch. His stomach growled loudly.

"All right, Leo, I'm coming." He made a show of getting out of his chair and stretching. "Oh, I'm getting too old for this."

"Maybe if you joined us for more workouts you wouldn't be so stiff," Leo laughed, clapping a hand on his younger brother's shoulder.

Ever since they'd gotten back from North Carolina, Leonardo had loosened up immensely. Don thought Sloan might have something to do with that. His oldest brother and the now-eighteen-year-old girl finally had their wedding ceremony in July. It had been extremely simple – Sloan had worn a sundress and gone barefoot while Leo had only removed his swords – but beautiful nonetheless, with Master Splinter conducting the ceremony. It had been a day full of happiness and laughter.

When they'd returned to the city in August, Hannah had reluctantly returned to Camp Half-Blood. She'd promised them all that she would be back by Thanksgiving, but she had to take care of some things back at Camp. Raph had told his brothers that he had a sneaking suspicion what those "things" were, but he didn't elaborate further. In any case, Raph was still slightly more content without Hannah there. But that could have something to do with the fact that his girl would be back within a month.

Leo led Donatello into the dining room, just in time to catch Mikey pull a pot gently out of Sloan's hands.

"You're doing too much," the orange-banded turtle was telling her. "You're seven months' pregnant! You need to take it easy. I'm doing the cooking from now on."

"Michelangelo," Sloan began warningly. Don could see the prideful set of her shoulders. "I'm pregnant, not dying! If I can carry a baby for nine months I can certainly carry a pot of mac 'n cheese."

Chuckling, Leo left Don's side and went to stand with his wife. "We're not saying you can't," he told her, gently pulling her toward her chair. He pulled it out for her. "But if you don't stop cooking and cleaning now, we're afraid that you won't, and you'll hurt the baby."

She sat down slowly, Leo's arms out protectively on either side, and sighed once she was settled. Leo rested his hands on his shoulders and kissed her cheek before sitting down beside her. Don took his place beside Mikey just as Raphael came down the stairs with a laughing Emily on his back. He himself was chuckling when he reached the table, reaching over his shoulders and lifting the little girl off his back.

"No! Go again, Raph!" she exclaimed when he set her in her seat.

"Later, Em, right now you gotta eat," he answered, sitting beside her.

Don smiled at the little girl's crestfallen look, which brightened as soon as Sloan started filling her plate for her. And then Sloan scoffed as Raph took over her duties and spooned potatoes onto the plate.

Thanks to Sloan finding all hers and Emily's documents in North Carolina, Emily was able to start kindergarten that September. She'd turned five in August, so she was of age to start school. Her teachers had been amazed at the amount of learning that she'd already done (thanks to the efforts of the brothers), and there had actually been discussions of her skipping to the second grade the next year. The brothers had started taking turns working with her on her homework, which is where Raphael had been. Often, she didn't need help with it, but they were there in case she did.

A soft _tap-tap_ could be heard coming towards the table, and the entire group fell silent as Master Splinter took his spot at the head of the table.

"My sons and daughters," he began. "Let us take this moment to be grateful for our months of peace. It is nice to be able to live without fear of the future, even if it is only for a while."

Don murmured his assent with the rest of them. In the two months they'd been back in New York, there hadn't been any more threats from the Shredder, or even any contact from Hun. He'd apparently taken Sloan's rejection hard, and he'd pretty much left them alone. They hadn't even confronted any Foot ninja on their patrols. The genius turtle knew it wouldn't last, but he could still enjoy it while it did. He glanced around the table, smiling as he took in Mikey and Raph arguing over the latest episode of _Hawaii Five-O. _Sloan and Leo were also arguing, but it was more of Leo poking fun at her irritation. Emily was busy stuffing her face, and only stopped eating when Raphael paused in his discussion with Mikey to point out that she use her napkin.

His gaze finally came to rest on Master Splinter, who's wise brown eyes conveyed the exact same sense of peace that Donatello felt. His _sensei_ nodded, and Don grinned back before taking a bite of his potatoes. Life certainly was good.

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**Review please! Anyone who does will be given a big high-five and a smiley with a mustache...like this one! :{) See?**


	2. Restless

**Chapter 2 is hee-ah! haha I'm sooooo incredibly glad that this story got such good feedback! Thank you all for the reviews, you guys, and I'm incredibly thankful that everyone likes it! These first few chapters move pretty fast, but that's because A LOT happens in this story, almost no down time. So, now you guys have something to look forward to :3 Oh, and I forgot to say so in the first chapter, so here is my one and only disclaimer: I don't own 'em - just my OC's and the plotline. Okay...enjoy! :D**

* * *

The lesson didn't go well.

After two hours of her aunts pushing her harder than they'd ever pushed her before, Claire stomped upstairs and collapsed face-first onto her bed. She groaned into her pillow, her head pounding and her energy spent from all the magic she'd poured into her studies. She breathed in the smell of her favorite pillow and tried to focus on falling asleep.

But the knock that came on her door made that hard to do. Claire rolled over onto her side and mumbled for her visitor to come in.

"Claire?" her sister's voice called softly. "Claire-bear, are you okay?"

The older of the twins stared at her sister. "You know I hate being called that. What if I went around called you Ella...um...Bella? Hm? How would you like that?"

Ella laughed and jumped onto Claire's bed, effectively jostling the girl and sending her pillow to the floor. "I wouldn't mind it so much."

"Yeah, seeing as you like the _Twilight_ franchise _waaaay_ more than I do," the elder twin grumbled as she reached for the pillow. She grabbed it and pulled it over her face, flopping back onto the mattress.

She heard Ella sigh, and the younger girl poked Claire in the foot. "You know the aunts just want you to be prepared for later on."

"I will be," Claire replied. "Just as soon as I get a college degree and a career. With business meetings and a corner office and a secretary."

She could hear the frown in Ella's voice. "Well that sounds boring."

"With no room for magic at all."

"But, you can't just abandon your magic, Claire," her sister scoffed. "It's as much a part of you as being a twin is."

She suddenly sat up, hugging the pillow to her stomach. "There is no room for magic in today's world," she said emphatically. "There is only that which is truth, infallible and based in fact."

Ella looked at her sister with sad brown eyes. Even though they were twins, there were still differences between them. Ella's hair was darker and straight, and she had brown eyes. Her face was also just a bit thinner, and she was half-an-inch shorter than Claire.

"...Claire..." her sister began hesitantly. "You know that what happened with our parents wasn't your fault, right?"

"I was the only one home, Ella, who else could have had enough magic to do that?"

"You were _two_. There's no way you had enough to set an entire room on fire."

"Then _you_ tell me what happened!" Claire hadn't meant to snap, but her voice had turned sharp in her frustration. She couldn't believe it was so hard for her family to understand why she didn't like using her magic. Anyone with common sense would be able to see that she saw no point in it.

She sighed at the hurt look on her sister's face. "I'm sorry, Els, I didn't mean it."

"It's okay," her twin answered. She shifted on the mattress so that she was sitting cross-legged. "It'll just take time for you to see reason." She grinned.

Claire couldn't help but grin back. Her sister had always been able to cheer her up, even when she didn't want to be. "New conversation, please."

Ella's smile fell, and she glanced to the side of the bed nervously. "Um...well, there is _one_ thing we should talk about."

Claire could sense her trepidation, but she didn't say anything. She just waited for her twin to continue.

"You know that I've been trying to sell my salves and things online, right?And that we've been making a pretty good amount?"

Claire nodded. "Yeah...where are you going with this?"

"Well...We – the aunts and I – we looked into a little shop on the other side of town. We actually put the down-payment on it today. We're going to sell my and Aunt Batty's potions!"

Claire laughed at her sister's joy and their secret nickname for their nicer aunt. "That's great! But...there's only one problem. It's going to take you over two hours to get there from here. Is that much commute time worth it?"

Ella's smile turned into a grimace. "That's the other thing," she went on slowly. "In order for this to work...we have to move."

The elder twin felt her heart stomach sink slowly into her feet. "What?"

"But, it'll be great!" Ella's enthusiasm was back. "It's a bigger space, right above the shop! A-and you won't be on a different floor than the rest of us, you can be closer to the rest of the family."

Currently, Claire's room was situated at the top of their living space, on its own level. She liked it that way; it was easier to escape the rest of her pro-magic family that way.

"M-moving?! What do you...how..._why_?"

"Well, duh! It'll be easier to work there, with no commute time. It's right next to this cute little antique shop – I know how much you like antiques – and we'll be going to a new school and it's going to be an adventure! Claire..." she grabbed her sister's arm. "Be happy!"

"Ella," Claire said reproachfully. "How can we move? This was where mom was born, where _you and I_ were born. How could you forget that? This place...it's our only tie left to our mother."

"Claire, you can't keep living in the past like this. Mom...she's still with us, no matter where we are. I mean, you can't just live in this house forever. Once we're done with our training, we'll have to move out to make room for the next family." Suddenly, her eyes grew wide. "Is that why you won't do magic? Because if you do, you'll finish your training and move away sooner?"

The elder twin's shoulders slumped. "No, Ella, that's not why." _But it's close._

Ella patted her leg affectionately. "You don't have to be afraid of moving. We still have pictures of Mom and Dad, don't we? You can still remember them in a different place."

"But...this is the only place we've ever lived...moving to another place, one where there's more people to hide our magic from...it just doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

The younger twin gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine, Claire-bear. You'll see."

…

She didn't see.

She _couldn't_ see.

There was no way she could justify moving. She'd gone over and over scenarios in her head, and none of them seemed good enough reasons. Why couldn't they just keep selling their stuff on the internet, like they'd been doing for years? Why did they have to leave the only place Claire felt comfortable and safe, despite the fact that it was a house full of witches?

It was one AM, and her mind wouldn't let her rest. She tossed and turned in bed for an hour, until she was left staring out at the skyline through her window. With an irritated sigh, she gave up on sleep and instead decided to try and calm her mind again. It seemed to have helped earlier, so she donned a jacket and sweatpants and exited once more onto her fire escape.

This time Salem couldn't interrupt her, for he was still curled up on his little cat-tree-thing. He purred slightly as he slept, making Claire smile. He could be irritating sometimes, but the little cat sure was cute.

She turned her attention back to the skyline, trying to lose herself in the lights again. But this time it wasn't going to work. After ten minutes of failure, she decided to try a different perspective. She followed the fire escape to the roof and tried looking up there. She kicked around sparse bits of loose gravel, sticking her hands in the pockets of her jacket. She began to rant about her aunts and sister making all the big decisions without consulting her first. She grumbled about shy she didn't want to use magic. If anyone had seen her, they would have thought she was crazy. As it was, no one was around to pay her any attention.

Which was how she liked it.

After her anger and frustration were spent, she plopped down on an air conditioning duct with an exasperated sigh. Nothing was calming her restless mind tonight. She brought her feet up onto the duct work and hugged her knees. Then that became uncomfortable and she stood up instead.

_Maybe a quick walk will clear my head_, she thought. _I can do enough magic to protect myself if I need to._

So she followed the fire escape back down, passing her window and eventually came to the alley at the bottom.

…

It was another one of those nights.

Nights when his mind just wouldn't turn off, and he was even too restless to work on any projects. Everyone else was asleep, or else he would be working out in the dojo. That left him pacing around the lair, letting his mind wander. He went from the kitchen, to the living room, to his lab and back again. He was just making his fourth trip into the living room when something stopped him.

The TV was on, and he could make out the shape of one of his brothers in the darkness. The way he was sitting, with his arm stretched out leisurely across the back of the couch and his legs out in front of him suggested it was Raphael.

Donnie tried to be as quiet as he could, aiming to head back for his room and try to sleep again. But he tripped on one of the chairs and almost sent it slamming to the ground. He caught it before it could fall, but not before it creaked enough to get the red-masked turtle's attention.

Raph turned on the couch and surveyed his younger brother with cool golden eyes. "Hey Don."

"Hey," Donatello replied. "What are you doing up this early, watching...uh...'I Love Lucy'?"

Raph shrugged and turned back to the TV. "Nothin' else is on." He rested his head on his fist. "Can't sleep either, huh?"

"No...I guess my mind just won't turn off." He sat down next to his brother on the couch, resigning himself to TVLand reruns for the night.

"Why don't you just go work on one'a yer inventions?"

"Already tried that," Don answered, crossing his arms. "It didn't work. Which one is this?" He gestured to the TV.

"The one where Lucy an' Ethel go to that chocolate factory."

"Eh, seen it." Donnie turned to his brother. "Hey, Raph, why can't _you _sleep?"

Raphael shrugged again. "I haven't been sleepin' well since Hannah left. I guess I'm just worried 'bout her."

"Well, Camp Half-blood is the safest place for her, besides with us. She's told you that."

"Yeah, I know," the red-banded turtle said. "But that doesn't stop me from worryin' about her."

Don half-smiled. His older brother was in love, and love could make you irrational. Don secretly hoped he wouldn't be like that when he fell in love.

_If_ , a voice reminded him. _If you fall in love. There's no guarantee it'll happen. Leo and Raph could have just gotten lucky_.

He shook his head and stood up again. "I'm gonna...I dunno, try to go to sleep I guess."

"Why don't you go take a walk?" Raph asked. "Y'know, get outta the sewers. Maybe you'll get rid of some energy or yer mind will have one'a those 'eureka' moments."

Don stopped at the base of the stairs. A walk topside _could_ potentially open up opportunities for his mind to get distracted, leaving it to mull over things subconsciously while he focused on a quick workout. He turned and made for the peg on the wall that held their "disguises" – trench coats and wide-brimmed hats.

"That's a good idea," he told Raphael, who had switched off the TV and was headed for his own room. "I'll be back before too long."

And he left the Lair, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he and Raphael had just had a bonding moment.

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**REEEEEVIEEEEWW! o-o Thank you!**


	3. Dilemma

**Hello all! So here's chapter 3! I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again - it's the last month of college classes, and my professors like to make everything due AT ONCE...-.- so, anyway, I'll try and update when I can. I'll still be writing, just not...posting, I guess. Anyway! Thanks to all the reviewers and followers, you guys are awesome! :D Okay...here we go!**

***Bear in mind, I'm imagining the turtles as they are in the 2007 movie - and I'm imagining them all as about 6 feet (Raph is 6'4", Leo's 6'3", Don is 6'1", and Mikey's 6').**

* * *

She wandered aimlessly through the back alleys, not really paying attention to where her feet were taking her. Her mind was still lost in thoughts of how unfair this whole "moving" thing was. She was so preoccupied that she didn't hear the two thugs racing down the alleyway behind her, bragging about what a good haul they'd just had. She didn't turn around until they were almost on top of her, which ended up surprising them because _they_ hadn't been aware of her presence either. One almost ran into Claire, but stopped just short and stared at her with wide eyes. His companion copied him.

She stared right back, already feeling the protective magic flowing unconsciously to her fingertips. She didn't want to use it, but she would if she had to. Claire promised herself that she would exhaust all other means before resorting to magic. She glanced from the thugs to the large bag one was carrying, putting two and two together.

Then she turned tail and ran.

The followed after her, shouting obscenities about her and how much they were going to hurt her. Claire knew she had seen too much – namely their faces, and also knew she would be a witness to their crime. They wanted her out of the way for their own protection.

She rounded a corner, flinging out her hand and sending a group of trash cans toppling in her wake. She hoped that would slow them down, but they just kicked them aside and persisted after her. Her lungs were burning, but she couldn't stop. She just thanked her aunts for making her develop her physical abilities as well as her magic. She could keep running for another ten minutes if she needed to.

She turned another corner and suddenly bit back a curse. Rising before her, seemingly out of the asphalt, was an eight-foot chain-length fence cutting off her access to relative safety and freedom.

The thugs caught up to her as she turned, readying herself to fight. "Look," she said. "I won't tell anybody what I saw. Just let me go, and you won't get hurt."

"Damn straight we won't," one of them answered, his accent thick. "'Cause ya won't be able ta talk!"

"Yeah!" the other continued. "Dis is our initiation inta da Purple Dragons! An' ain't nobody gonna mess dis up fer us!"

The first thug growled and hit his partner on the back of the head. "You idiot! Now she knows who we run with!"

"Well I'm sorry for havin' family pride!" the other retorted.

Claire took advantage of their squabbling and reached behind her, her fingers coming into contact with the fence. She felt how intricately woven the metal was, how strong it could be if _doubly_ woven. Using almost all of her magical ability, she pulled two sections of the fence away and threw them at the thugs with a cry, wrapping them up and leaving them trapped and floundering on the ground. Still shaking with the effort, Claire escaped through the hole she made, aiming to put as much distance between herself and the thugs as possible.

She could feel her energy being drained away. With each step she took, her legs shook a little more and her vision grew fuzzier. She went from running, to walking, to stumbling through the alleys, trying to find her way back to her apartment. But even if she were in perfect health, she'd have no idea where she was.

Claire rested her hand against the wall, and suddenly it was like the ground was slanted. She fell against the brick, scraping her face and a good part of her arm on it, and finally collapsed on the ground. She heard a rushing noise in her ears, like a waterfall, and just under it was a voice. Dimly, she thought that she was hearing things, for she knew she was alone. She would lay there, unmoving and regaining strength for a good ten hours or so, effectively worrying her family before making the long trudge back home.

That was if some unsavory person didn't find her first. Which, if she _was_ hearing a voice then that meant someone else was out this late at night. And that someone probably didn't have the nicest agenda towards her.

Claire weakly threw her arm out, trying to bat her assailant away, but she came in contact with only air.

_Good, I really am hearing things_, she thought.

Right before a hand closed itself around her arm.

…

Donatello couldn't believe his eyes.

He'd been following two initiates of the Dragons from the jewelry store they'd just robbed. He had gone from rooftop to rooftop, looking forward to being able to bash a few heads. Maybe he'd get some good sleep after that. But, as he followed, it had quickly become apparent that things were about to get out of hand. The thugs had encountered a young woman – which, what she was doing out this late at night he couldn't fathom – and had begun chasing her.

Don had followed, just waiting for his opportunity to jump in and help her. He'd almost done so when she'd come to a large fence. She'd seemed trapped, and he'd almost leaped down to fight the thugs...

...until she'd thrown the fence at her followers.

That was the only way he could describe it. One second she was standing with her back against the fence, the second she had wrapped them up in chain-length metal. It was like she had cut through it, but from what Donatello had seen, she hadn't really touched it. After she'd run away, he had jumped down to get a closer look.

He knocked out the thugs with a quick hit with his bo, then he went to look at the fence. There were no rough edges, no unwoven bits of metal. It was as if the girl had _literally_ cut it away.

It was insane.

Putting his staff away, he followed the girl's path through the fence and tried to figure out where she went. She'd seemed..._off _when she'd escaped, and he wanted to make sure she was all right. He wasn't sure exactly which way she'd gone, but it was like there was something pulling him a certain way. He wasn't one to put much stock in feelings, but his rational mind was being overrun by his strange sudden need to _find_ her. He felt as if her survival was dependent on him finding her. It was a matter of life and death – not just for her, but for _him_ as well. He didn't know where this sudden protectiveness was coming from, but at the present moment he wasn't in the frame of mind to contradict it.

He made his way through narrow alleys, twisting and turning and following her winding trail. He finally found the girl sprawled out against a wall, with three other Purple Dragons crouched over her. He faded into the shadows, trying not to listen to what they were saying. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't tune out their disgusting words, and they just pissed him off. He could now actually understand where Raphael's rage came from. He hadn't been able to stop Sloan's attack, but that didn't mean he couldn't save this girl. Just as one thug was reaching for her pants, he sprung into action.

He thrust his bo between the two standing up, immediately and silently dropping them to the ground. With a low growl, he grabbed the third guy by his collar and forced him away from the girl. Don stood protectively in front of her, bo outstretched, hazel eyes dark beneath the brim of his hat.

The Dragon faced him, obviously knowing full well who he was, and grinned sickeningly at him. He suddenly faked right, but Donatello was ready for him. He dealt him a savage blow to the stomach when the thug tried to double back and go left. Don spun his staff and followed it up with a shot to the Dragon's face, then an elbow to the back of the head. The Dragon dropped to the ground, out cold.

It was as if someone had dumped cold water over Donnie's whole body. The rage and heat of battle were suddenly gone, and the genius turtle was now back in his own mind. He glanced down at the Dragons, marveling at his own ferocity with which he'd attacked them. His irrational protectiveness over the girl was gone, but he found that he still could not move away from her. He turned his collar up against the sudden chill in the wind and shouldered his bo, kneeling to check the girl's pulse.

He brushed aside dark, curly hair and placed a finger on her neck. He could feel a strange vibration – almost like an electrical hum – coming off her. It was a little distracting; that, and the fact that her shirt had slipped off her left shoulder to reveal what looked like a crescent-shaped birthmark surrounded by strange shallow scratches. After a few moments, he found her pulse to be steady and slow, almost as if she were asleep.

"Hey, wake up," he muttered, shaking her shoulder. But it seemed like she would not be awoken. "Wake up!"

No response. He shook harder, but she still did not wake. Don sighed and dropped his hand. He checked her pockets, hoping to find a wallet or something with her identification on it. When he didn't find it, he went straight for the unconscious Dragons. They could have easily taken it. When he (surprisingly) found nothing helpful on them either, he growled in frustration and went back to the girl. He sighed in exasperation again. It was still his responsibility to make sure she was okay. He faded back into the shadows from the building at his shell, waiting to see if she would wake up. His mind travelled to what he had seen with the fence. Maybe she was another demigod - a child of Hephaestus, perhaps, which would give her some sort of control over metal. But that couldn't be - she was out in the open, and there were no monsters around. But that could also have been because _he _was there. His tired mind was going around in circles.

He sat there watching her. He eventually got tired of standing and knealt, then sat when his knees started protesting. He checked his watch after a long while and found that he had been waiting for her to wake up for three hours now. He was beginning to worry. With a grunt and his muscles stiff, he stood and fingered his bo and tried to figure out what to do.

He hadn't found anything to prove that she was hurt, so he could move her. The only problem was that he didn't know _where_ to move her. He didn't know where she lived or who she was, and if he was successful in waking her up to ask her, he'd be risking his own safety. He thought about taking her down to the Lair and letting her rest in safety (for _both_ of them). The sun was about to rise, and Don was starting to feel the strain in his tired body.

He thought about calling Leo and just telling him that he needed to bring someone down and that he could get over it...but he didn't want to wake him. But he didn't know if the girl had a family, and he didn't want to be accused of kidnapping.

But he didn't know what else to do.

"Shit," he murmured. "Shit shit _shit_." He turned to the unconscious girl, who had yet to even _move_. "What am I going to do with you?"

She lay there, all unconscious and the like.

With another resigned sigh, he slid his staff back into its holder and gently rolled the girl onto her back. Her face came into full view, and he froze.

Her dark, curly hair was wild around her pale, smooth face. Not a freckle in sight. Her skin seemed to glow in the light from the streetlamp overhead, highlighting the dark circles under her eyes. She had a small nose and full lips proportionate to her face. She looked like a modern-day Snow White. Don suddenly had another irrational thought wondering what would happen if he kissed her.

_Stop it, you creeper_. He shook himself out of his trance and gently lifted her into his arms. She was small and light – he thought she _might _be just over five feet tall. Shaking his head and praying that Leo would understand, he set off back for the Lair.

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	4. Waking Up

**Ermahgerrrrd! Cherpter Ferrrr! Haha I couldn't resist :) Thank you for all the reviews, you guys, I'm looking forward to a few more before Thanksgiving (no, that's not a hint at all (; ) Anyways, hopefully I can get a lot more written in the next few weeks, because I want to write a little Christmas scene around Christmas...'Kay. Enjoy!**

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Thankfully, there was no one around when Don returned. He guessed it was too early even for Leo and Sloan – the group's earliest risers – to be up. Either that, or they could have had a "big night" the night before.

Don shook his head. _Great. Now I'm _never_ going to get rid of that mental image._

He quickly carried the girl into the lab, laying her down on the one cot that was in there. He'd once thought about getting another one, seeing as it always seemed to be occupied, but he hadn't found one yet. Under the light of his lab, he could see her face a little bit better. She had a scrape on one cheek, and her left arm was also scraped up pretty badly. He guessed it was from where she'd fallen against the wall. They were shallow enough to simply clean and lightly bandage, which was what he did.

Even after all that movement and the noise he made banging around supplies, the girl _sill_ didn't wake up.

_I guess she's a heavy sleeper...almost as bad as Emily_. He had witnessed firsthand how deeply the little girl slept from all the times she'd fallen asleep on the couch watching Mikey play his video games. Through all the gunshots and yells and swearing from the orange-masked turtle, Emily slept on.

Don finished tying off the bandage on her arm and sat back in his chair, looking at her again.

"As long as no one comes in here, and _you_ don't make a noise when you wake up, we'll be fine." He chuckled humorlessly. "But we both know that's not going to happen."

"Donnie? Who're you talking to?"

He heard the footsteps of his younger brother, and before he could intercept him, Mikey came right through the lab door.

"Dude, what's..." He trailed off as he saw the girl. "Uh...who...?"

"Mikey, don't tell Leo," he told him quietly. "She got into some trouble last night, and I didn't know what else to do, so...here she is."

"Who _is _she?"

"I don't know!" Don answered, frustrated. "She passed out before I could ask her, and she won't wake up!" He glanced from the girl to Mikey, suddenly struck by a thought. "Mike, it's almost six AM. What are you doing up?"

"Thought I'd get a jump on breakfast this morning." Michelangelo took a step closer and actually poked the girl. "Okay...she's either dead, or drunk."

"Neither. She didn't smell like alcohol, and her pulse is perfectly steady. It's almost like she's in a trance or something. I tried to wake her up when I found her."

"Sooo..." Mike began slowly. "What do we do?"

Don shrugged. "Wait for her to wake up, I guess. I might get Sloan to wait with her just so she's not freaked out when she _does_ finally come around."

"She wasn't drunk, she's alive, and she doesn't look like a druggie. _Why_ was she out at 2 AM?"

"I _don't know_," Don reiterated. He placed an arm around his brother's shell and led him out of the lab. "For now, she's okay. Let's just let her be for now."

…

"_What the hell, Donnie_?!"

"Raph, I'm sorry. I just told you, I didn't know where else to go!"

His plan to keep his family in the dark didn't go so well. As soon as morning _katas_ were over, Mikey had spilled the beans by asking if Don had any more ideas concerning his "new friend."

"But bringin' 'er down here? Where she could jeopardize our whole lives? What were you thinkin'?"

"I have to say Raph has a point," Leo continued. "I don't know why you thought it was okay for you to kidnap her – "

"She wouldn't wake up, Leo!" Don replied, growing angry. "I couldn't figure out where she lived, or who she even _was_! She's still out cold!" He narrowed hazel eyes. "And I didn't _kidnap_ her."

"Is she drunk?" Raph asked, crossing his arms.

"Why do you all think she's drunk? NO, she's not. It's like she's...in a trance."

"Did one of the Dragons drug her, you think?" Sloan asked from beside Leo, speaking up for the first time.

"Not that I could see," Donatello answered. "I stopped them before they could do anything to her." He'd refrained from telling them about the fence incident. He didn't want them to freak out any more than they already were.

"What are we going to do when she _does _wake up?" Leo asked his genius brother. "We can't very well have her wandering around. We don't know how trustworthy she is or anything about her."

"She's not a bad person – "

"How do you _know_ that?"

"I...I just..."

"I can't believe you'd be this irresponsible."

"_Irresponsible_?! Leo, I brought her down here so she would be _safe_! Please explain to me how that is irresponsible."

"Why don't _I_ sit in and be there when she wakes up so she doesn't freak," Sloan interrupted, coming between them. She placed a hand on Leo's chest, gently pushing him back before grabbing her book off the coffee table. "I'll come get you when she wakes up, and I'll prepare her for...her first encounter." She slipped into the Lab and shut the door behind her.

Don stared after her, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He glanced at his two older brothers, registering angry gray and curious gold eyes. Then, they turned away to their separate activities. He sighed and resigned himself to a day without his Lab. Which was fine with him, because he just realized he was exhausted. Shaking out tired muscles, he slowly climbed the stairs to his room and surrendered to the sweet darkness of his bed.

…

Her head was pounding, and her arms and shoulders were sore. Using that much magic at once always did that to her. She'd woken up many a time after her aunts' lessons with a migraine. She exhaled slowly, trying to move past the pain and actually _think_.

The last thing she remembered, she'd fallen against the brick wall. She opened fuzzy eyes to look at the extent of the damage, and was surprised to find her arm bandaged. She also could feel that she was laying on something soft, and she was very warm. Wherever she was, it _definitely_ smelled better than the alley she'd passed out in. She didn't panic – obviously she was safe, or else whoever she was in the company of wouldn't have taken such care of her.

It would have been her aunts' enchantment they'd put on her and Ella when they'd come to live with them. If they were ever in trouble, the closest person with a purely good heart would come to their rescue and defend them until the threat was neutralized. Claire sighed softly. She normally didn't like her aunts meddling in her life, but in this instance she had to thank them. _And_ their magic.

She slowly turned her head to get a better view of where she was. She was immediately assaulted with the visions of sleek technology and computers and blueprints tacked up everywhere. Her eyes settled on another girl sitting beside her bed, obviously engrossed in a book. Her red hair was pulled back from her face, and Claire could see the copious amount of freckles all over her head and neck. She was fiddling with a pendant around her neck, worrying at her bottom lip absentmindedly. Claire could see a beautifully-woven silver ring on her left hand, the one that was messing with her pendant.

Claire could also see how swollen the girl's stomach was, and immediately surmised that she was pregnant. She didn't know if she was involved with her rescuer (because it obviously would have been a male, thanks to her aunts' enchantment), or if maybe the other girl had been "rescued" as well.

Her eyes once again found the pendant, and she had to fight to keep her expression calm when she recognized it. She had to figure out _why_ this girl had that symbol. She took a deep breath, planning out exactly what she was going to say…

…

Sloan shifted on the lab chair and opened her mother's dog-eared copy of _Interview With The Vampire_. What her mom had been doing with the novel, she hadn't a clue. Her mom hadn't been the "Ann Rice" type. But after discovering the book back in North Carolina, she'd been curious. She'd started reading it only a few days prior, and she hadn't been able to put it down. She had actually kept Leo up the night before because she refused to turn her light out and go to bed.

As she read, she began to fiddle with the pendant hanging around her neck. She was no closer to figuring out what it meant, but she still had yet to take it off since finding it. The Celtic symbol was one of the ways she felt close to her mother. She thought that _maybe_ if she read the letter, that would help as well...but she was still too apprehensive to do so.

She had readily agreed with Don's idea that she be there when the girl woke up. The last thing they needed was a scared girl running loose in the Lair. So she was tasked with the job of waiting for her to wake up.

She sighed and shifted again. She really wished Donatello had a larger desk chair; pregnancy had a way of making sitting down uncomfortable. Even the pillow she'd placed on the seat wasn't helping. Finally finding a perfect spot, she soon lost herself in her book. She didn't even move for about two hours. Suddenly...

"...Open Triad..." a weak voice said, jolting out of her reverie. She looked up to see the girl's eyes open. She blinked in surprise and shut her book. There were a number of questions she wanted to ask the girl – who she was, where she lived – but the only one that left her mouth was...

"How do you know what this is?" she asked.

The dark-haired girl tried to sit up, then groaned and fell back against the pillow. "My mom...she was a Symbology major."

Sloan tilted her head to one side. "They _have_ that?"

The other girl smiled. "Yeah. It stands for birth, life, and death – the whole cycle. It also inspires magic."

"Sounds like you know a lot."

"My mom taught me a lot before she died."

Sloan sat back in her chair and smiled. "My name's Sloan, and I guess it's only polite to tell you that you're safe." She paused. "Though, I'm surprised that you're not freaking out more."

The other girl shrugged. "I kind of figured out I'm safe. Or else, I wouldn't be lying on a soft bed with a bandaged arm." She held up said arm.

"Well, I'm _very_ glad you have a bit of common sense about you," Sloan told her.

The girl laughed, then lifted a weak hand in a wave. "I guess I need to introduce _myself_. I'm Claire."

"Nice to meet you." Sloan felt her smile fall. She thought that it might be time for Claire to meet her rescuer. "Um, listen. I have to tell you that I'm not the one who helped you."

Claire snorted. "Well, I figured that. It couldn't have been easy for a _pregnant_ girl to carry me...wherever we are."

"Oh! The sewers."

Claire froze, as if she were trying to figure out if Sloan was joking or not. "Is that sanitary?"

The red-head laughed. "Yes, I promise it is. You're safe, and the guy who saved you has been worried about you."

"Guy?"

Sloan stood up slowly, bracing a hand on the back of her chair. "Yeah, but...he's not like you and me."

"Female?"

"Human."

To Sloan's surprise, Claire didn't ask any more questions. After a while, she moved to sit up against the pillow. "Well, bring him in."

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	5. First Sight

**Hi there! Here you all are, my lovely readers. Chapter 5 :) I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving Breaks and you're gearing up for the next batch of holidays! My break was pretty suckish (my dog bit my sister in the face and he had to be put down) buuuut I'm not gonna bore you all with a sob story! One of my reviewers (*cough cough* dragosilvio *cough*) mentioned that my last chapter was a little short. Well, darlin, this one isn't. It was seven pages long in my word processor. So, you all enjoy the nice long chapter! Hopefully I'll post another one soon!**

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Leo and Raph had returned to the front room a few moments after Don left for his room, figuring it was safer not to be around the genius turtle for a while. Mikey had returned to what he'd been doing before the whole blow-up began – _Assassin's Creed III_. He was quietly cursing the game for both sucking him in and for not doing what he wanted it to do.

Raph plopped down onto the couch next to him with a grunt. He tried to pay attention, but his mind wandered to the girl in the lab. Who was she? Was her family worried? Could she be trusted?

He could understand why Leo reacted the way he did – it was one of the reasons _he_ reacted that way as well. But he could also understand Don's reasoning behind it. Raphael tried to think of what he would have done if he'd been put in that situation.

_Called 911_. The realization came to him as he watched Mikey take out a pack of wolves on his game. Raph actually hit himself lightly in the forehead. _Duh_.

"Run out of things to hit, Raphy-boy?" Mikey piped up from his side of the couch. "Have you been reduced to beating up _yourself_ now?"

In answer, Raph just leaned over and swatted his brother in the head, making the orange-banded turtle hit the wrong button on his controller and causing his character to die.

"Awww Raph! I almost had 'em!"

"Well then, you shouldn't have been actin' stupid!"

"Your _face_ is stupid!"

"Yer _game_ is stupid!"

Mikey gasped and recoiled, holding his controller like it was the most precious thing on earth. "How _dare_ you?!"

At that point, Raph had had it. He growled and launched himself at Mikey, who proceeded to squeal like a little girl and bolt off the couch. Raph flipped over the back of the couch and landed right on him as he was trying to retreat, knocking the controller away and pinning him to the ground.

…

Leo exited the dojo at the sound of Mikey's squeal and found his two warm-colored brothers wrestling on the floor, rolling around and cursing at each other. Hardly batting an eye at the familiar sight, he looked to the lab door as his wife came out. She paused to glance at Raph and Mikey as well, then moved to meet Leo in the relative safety of the dining area.

"Any news?" he asked her, settling a protective arm around her.

"She's awake," Sloan replied, gesturing towards the lab. "Her name's Claire, she hasn't given me a last name. Or where she lives, or why she was out at night."

"Is she okay? I mean, she's not afraid or...emotionally scarred?"

Sloan shook her head. "No...in fact, she's pretty rational. She didn't freak out when she woke up, and when I told her about Donnie, she didn't seem surprised that he wasn't human."

Leo blinked. "Wait, you _told_ her?"

"I _warned _her," she corrected. "Face it. There's no way we can get her back to wherever she needs to go without her seeing and interacting with you guys. It's inevitable. And she wants to meet Don."

"Is she trustworthy?"

Sloan stepped away from his arm and set a hand defiantly on her hip. "I think she is. She's very logical, so I think we can trust her."

Leonardo nodded, understanding where she was coming from. "Okay...well Don's asleep, so it'll be a while before he can talk to her."

"How about _you_ talk to her instead?" Sloan nudged him. "You can judge for yourself if she's trustworthy or not."

Leo nodded and let his gaze fall on the lab, trying to prepare himself for her reaction. If he needed to calm her down, he could do so...he hoped.

"Anyway, I've gotta go pick Em up from school," his wife continued, checking the facing on her phone. "I'm afraid I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now."

Leo glanced at her over his shoulder as he walked over to his genius brother's sanctuary. "Is April not going to get her today?" Sloan had listed their older red-headed friend as Emily's emergency contact at school, and she frequently picked the little girl up from school.

"No, something came up with Casey. I think he's sick or something, so she's taking care of him." Sloan reached for her coat on the rack and wrapped her mother's old scarf around her neck. She walked past Leo and kissed him on the cheek on her way out. "Bye, babe. Play nice."

He couldn't help but grin as he entered the lab. Sloan always had that special way to get him in a better mood. But his grin fell as soon as he glimpsed the girl for the first time.

She was already sitting up, her legs dangling off the side of the cot and her arms braced on either side of her. She looked up at him as he came in, and Leo immediately noticed that her eyes were a light gray. They grew wide as they first glimpsed him, but soon returned to their normal size.

"So, _you're_ the one who saved me," she said. He could hear a slight lilt to her voice, as if she'd had an accent at one point and now it was too Americanized to really be different.

"Uh...no, that would be my brother," he said, cautiously keeping his distance.

The girl – Claire – tilted her head to one side, curly hair falling into her face. She brushed it aside somewhat annoyingly and focused on him.

"There are more of you?"

Leo nodded. "Four. And...I'm sorry, I'm still trying to figure out why you're not freaking out."

She shrugged. "So you're a giant talking turtle with..." She leaned to one side to get a better look at the katanas strapped to his shell. "...swords. So what?"

"I'm not _normal_," he answered emphatically.

"'Normal' is a myth. No one is ever really _normal_."

Leonardo moved closer, rolling Don's desk chair over to the cot. "I'm beginning to think you're either in shock, or there's something really wrong with you."

She laughed, and then suddenly grimaced and brought a hand to her bandaged cheek. "Ow. Okay, laughing hurts."

"Are you okay? I can wake up my brother, he's the doctor out of all of us."

"No, I...I think I'm okay." She focused her light gray eyes on him. "And no, there's nothing _wrong_ with me. I'm just...practical."

"So...you know we don't mean you any harm, and we don't want you to tell anyone about us."

"Well, obviously. You took care of me, rescued me and bandaged my wounds, and you live in the _sewer_. It's easy to figure out that you're good...people, and you don't want just anyone to stumble upon you guys. I can imagine it isn't safe."

He felt like a strange weight was lifted from his shoulders. Claire was _very_ logical – almost refreshingly so – and he felt as if this fact was working to her advantage.

"Okay...is there family you need to call? I'm sure they're worried about you. Don found you around 3 AM. It's now..." He checked his watch. "...almost noon."

"I would have earlier, but I don't have a – "

Leo fished out his cell phone just before she finished. " – phone."

"Use mine," he said. "Try not to give anything away, but still tell them you're safe."

Claire nodded, and Leo retreated to the computer to give her some privacy. He began to Google cases of missing teenaged girls in the city, looking for any recent updates with the name "Claire" or her description.

"Hey, it's me..." her voice carried across to him, and he tried not to listen. But it was very hard to do so in the quiet lab. "...yes, I'm fine...Els...Ella, don't freak. You _know_ I'd be safe...I know, I'm sorry...Yeah, I guess, tell them I was sick or something." She laughed. "I know they won't believe it, they keep telling me I have an immune system of steel...I'm not sure, maybe later on...it'll have to be after dark...um, I'm not sure." Her eyes suddenly went to Leo, wary. "I think they're busy."

She looked away, back down at her hands. "How did the aunts..." Her face darkened. "Yeah, I figured. They wouldn't be worried, would they...I know, Els, but you can see why I feel that way...I'll tell you when I get home." She threw another cautious glance at the blue-masked turtle. "Okay...all right...love you too, Els. I'm sorry...Bye."

She hung up and sighed, holding out the phone back to him. He took it and slipped it back into his belt.

"My sister wanted to talk to my rescuers," Claire told him, smiling slightly. "I think she wanted to thank you guys."

"Well, _we_ didn't do anything...it was all Donnie. He found you and fought off a few Purple Dragons when you were...um...indisposed."

"I guess I need to thank him when he wakes up, then."

Leo paused then, trying to choose his next words carefully. "Listen...what exactly _were _you doing out so late by yourself? And in..." He gestured at her baggy sweatpants, tennis shoes, and oversized shirt. "...pajamas?"

She looked down sheepishly. "I, uh, was restless. I thought a walk might help me get to sleep."

Leo nodded, understanding completely. "Donnie gets like that sometimes. It was why he was out late as well." He pushed back from the cot and stood. "I'll let you rest for a while longer. It may be a while before Don is ready to see anybody."

Claire nodded and swung her legs back onto the cot, laying back on the pillow. As Leo turned and made his way across the room, she suddenly called out to him.

"Hey, I never caught your name."

He stopped by the door and glanced back over his shoulder. "Leonardo," He smiled. "Call me Leo."

…

Claire didn't think she could sleep any more, but she was amazed that she dozed off after Leo came to explain things to her. She groaned and rubbed her tired eyes, turning over. Then she frowned as she tried to move her legs and found that impossibly hard to do. She sat up and found the sheets tangled around her feet. She moved to untangle herself, then somehow felt herself slipping from the edge of the cot where she was so precariously perched.

"Waahh!" she cried, still groggy enough not to use her magic to help her.

"Whoa! Hang on!" a male voice yelled, and suddenly strong hands had caught her before she'd completely hit the ground. She found herself staring up into the eyes of her newest rescuer. She was getting pretty annoyed with playing the damsel in distress, and was about to tell this new purple-masked turtle so...until she noticed his eyes, and she was lost for words.

They were in that strange place between green and brown; at any one moment they could be either color. They were completely enchanting. She realized she'd been staring up at him for a good minute or so, with him staring right back.

"Are you all right?" he asked. His voice was soft and warm and very pleasant to listen to.

"Y-yeah," she answered, moving to get out of his arms. She realized that he'd caught her in his lap, and she was lying in his arms. Which made getting out of them rather awkward. She almost had to roll away from him and stumble to her feet, using the cot above her for support. "Fine."

"Are you sure?" He was already standing, one arm outstretched protectively toward her.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak in more than one-syllable words. She'd been around boys before (not romantically, of course) but she could normally hold intelligent conversations with them. Whatever his gaze was doing to her, she didn't like it. She felt stupid, almost like she couldn't think straight. Even now, his hazel eyes held a child-like glint of amusement and wariness that played to her heartstrings.

"Okay...Claire?" he said. "My name's Donatello. I'm the one who brought you down here."

She felt her heart thump hard in her chest. "You're the one who saved me."

"Well..." he grinned sheepishly, and Claire couldn't help but notice Donatello's physique at the action. He was slighter than the other turtle she'd seen – Leonardo – but he was still covered in wiry muscles. A long stick was strapped to his back, along with a leather belt around his waist. He was taller than her by a good foot, and she could easily make out his shell and...what did they call it? Plastron?...in his front. His skin seemed to be an olive green color.

"...I just chased a few goons away from you. _You_ did most of the fighting yourself."

She narrowed gray eyes at him, wondering what he was getting at. She didn't do anything, just passed out against the wall after using too much magic at once.

Unless...

"Wait...you were _following _me?"

"Technically I was following the thieves who were following you. They'd robbed a store, and I was tailing them so that I could teach them a lesson. But you pretty much took care of them with that fence trick."

Claire tried to look past the fact that he'd obviously seen her use magic, even though her knees had started shaking with the realization. She looked up at him curiously. "Teach them a lesson how?"

He stepped back and drew the weapon on his back with a grin. "With this." He performed a complicated-looking series of movements, then replaced the stick – staff, her mind corrected – in one smooth motion. He grinned at her, then seemed to realize that he'd been showing off and blushed.

"Um...i-if you'd let me, I need to check your vitals." He held out large, three-fingered hands toward her. "You don't look too good."

"No, I...I'm okay. I'm just – _oof!_"

He had gently gripped her waist and lifted her back onto the cot. She was trying to move past how effortlessly he'd lifted her when he gently took her hand in his to check her pulse. Her scientific mind began to analyze how his skin felt on hers. It was rough and cool to the touch, but not slimy as she had been expecting. The soft palm of his hand almost felt like soft human skin.

"Your pulse seems fine, if a little erratic," he said, and Claire could hear a certain professional tone to his voice. He really was the doctor of the group. He glanced up at her, eyes bright behind his purple mask. "Are you in any pain at all?"

"A little sore, but otherwise uninjured," she answered. Then, feeling a little bold, she quietly added "Thanks to you."

She swore that he turned a darker shade of green, and when he spoke his voice cracked slightly. "Y-you're welcome." He cleared his throat. "I'm giving you a clean bill of health. You're free to be up and around."

He stepped back and held a hand out for her to help her off the cot. She hopped down and smoothed out her shirt, then noticed for the first time that it had dark stains of _something_ on it.

_Probably from where I fell in the alleyway. God only knows what it is, _she thought. Apparently, Donatello noticed it as well.

"I think Sloan has some clothes that would fit you, if you'd like to change," he suggested, leading her towards the door. "I think she's back from picking Emily up by now."

"Who's Emily?" Claire asked as the purple-masked turtle led her out of what she had come to know as "tech central." "Is she another...girl...like..." She trailed off as she got her first glimpses of the space beyond that first room.

The great room (for that was the only thing it could be) was _huge. _There was a living area in one section, what looked like a set of free weights and a weight bench in another, and a large dining table that led into a kitchen area in a third corner. Various things like car magazines and video game controllers were lying around, giving evidence to the fact that this was a mainly male-dominated environment. Off to the far side, Claire glimpsed a set of spiral iron stairs leading to what looked like a balcony, with even more rooms branching off from there. There was a long hallway underneath the balcony with still _more_ doors to even more rooms.

All the walls were made of dark brick, but the room was lighted and heated so it was really quite comfortable. If she didn't think about it, it was hard to tell their home was in the sewers at all. She couldn't help but stare as she tried to take it all in. The place was too amazing for words.

Beside her, Donatello laughed. When she shot him an irritated look (or as irritated as she could muster), he stopped and only smiled.

"Believe it or not, but you're the only person to react like that to our place."

"It's amazing," she couldn't stop herself from saying. "The architecture is so...unique. You have so much room down here."

"Plus a garage where all our vehicles are stashed."

She looked up at Donatello again in surprise. "You guys drive?"

The turtle shrugged. "Doesn't everybody?"

Claire blinked at him and looked away, unable to come up with an appropriate response. The more time she spent underground, the more she learned about these strange people.

She couldn't think of them as _creatures_. Two of the four had already proven that they were capable of higher thought and reasoning. They weren't things to be studied in a laboratory. These turtles were more _human_ than some of the people at her school, and she was beginning to think of them that way. Which, for some strange reason, had her mind going back to the red-head she'd met earlier.

"Um, I have a question," she began.

Donatello chuckled, walking over to the living area. "Only one?"

Claire noticed all the slightly-worn looking furniture. But, she guessed that when you lived in the sewers you took what you could get. It wasn't as if you could go to the Lay-Z-Boy warehouse and have them deliver things to you. An old couch faced a large TV setup, with a loveseat on one side and an ancient-looking glider rocker on the other. Two recliners sat in the spaces between, diagonally facing the television. Not one bit of the furniture matched.

"Yeah, uh...what's the deal with that other girl...Sloan?"

She was afraid she'd hit a nerve, for Donatello's face darkened considerably. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she went on hesitantly. "She's obviously pregnant, and I couldn't help but notice the ring on her finger. Did she get into some trouble and you guys are helping her out? Or are she and her husband just hanging out down here with you guys?"

The turtle shrugged and sat down on the couch. Claire slowly sank down into the recliner next to him, waiting for him to answer. When he didn't, she continued.

"I mean...I guess what I'm wondering is...what's her story?"

After a long pause, Donatello sighed and gave her a sidelong glance. "It's not a happy one, that's for sure," he replied, just as there was a loud banging from the far wall of the room. The purple-masked turtle looked over Claire's chair, and she could see his face brighten ever so slightly. "And it's one I think she should tell you herself."

The curly-haired girl followed his gaze and found that Sloan had indeed returned...and that she was leading a little brown-haired girl by the hand. Claire knew there was no way for the little girl to be Sloan's – she looked about 18 or 19, and the little girl looked like she was 5. There was no possible way for that to be true, so Claire assumed they were sisters.

They didn't notice her and the turtle as they walked past, headed for the kitchen table. Suddenly, it was as if a switch had been turned on in the room, for it almost immediately filled with people.

The first newcomer Claire noticed was Leonardo, who had just exited from another hallway she hadn't noticed before in her earlier inspection of the place. He went up to Sloan and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his forehead on her shoulder. The red-head smiled and put a hand on his, where they both were resting on her swollen tummy.

The one thing about being a witch is that Claire was very good at hiding things from other people. And often, she was _very_ good at hiding emotions. So when she saw Leonardo lean over and kiss Sloan lightly on the mouth, Claire was sure to keep her shock locked away. It was obvious that no one else had a problem with the couple, so why should she? But it was still strange to see two people so different fit _so well_ together. Claire found herself wondering if the baby in Sloan's stomach was Leonardo's. Then she wondered if it was even possible for them to conceive.

Thankfully, Donatello's gentle pat on her knee brought her out of her thoughts long enough to listen.

"Come on," he said, standing up. "I think you should meet the rest of the family."

* * *

**Yaaaay! Donnie and Claire's first "moment" :3 I tried to keep all the mushy love-at-first-sight stuff outta here, and I hope I did a pretty good job. But I won't know for sure until you guys REVIEW!**

**(Seriously...I only got like four reviews for the last chapter...so pleeeeeeeeeeeease review you guys!)**


	6. Explanation and Coffee

**...I know, I know...but I finished exams and still had to work and I needed to turn my brain off for...what was it, two weeks? Three? *Fluttershy voice* Oh...oh my...  
Anyway, here it is, the much-anticipated chapter 6! I'm so glad everyone has stuck with this story! I promise you all, it will pick up soon. I'm already planning the next, like, 3 chapters. Be expecting to see Miss Jackson soon (if you haven't read the first two stories in this series, you're gonna be lost, if you aren't already...just sayin), and also a little tidbit from our favorite baddie! Okay, Imma shut up now. Enjoy!**

* * *

As Donatello led her over to the dinner table, Claire first noticed that two other turtles had joined them. One was wearing an orange bandana, and he was currently arguing with Sloan over who would be fixing dinner. Before she could say one more word, the turtle raced into the kitchen.

"Michelangelo David Hamato! Get back here!" Sloan exclaimed, stepping out of Leo's embrace and following him. Claire couldn't help but laugh.

"You all have middle names?" she asked Donatello.

"Only when Sloan is mad enough to use them," he grinned back. "She gave us all 'honorary' middle names after a while."

"So what's yours?" she asked as he pulled out a chair for her.

"Donatello Levi Hamato," he answered, taking the seat between her and Leo. He was about to continue, but a sudden squeal and laughter interrupted him. Claire turned around to see the fourth turtle lifting the little girl into the air and setting her on his shoulders. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and giggled.

"Higher, Raph, higher!"

"Naw, munchkin, it's time fer dinner. And then, homework."

"_Aaawwwww_," she replied, slumping against his head and dangling her hands in his face. He laughed, golden eyes closing behind his red mask, before slowly lifting her up and setting her down in another chair.

Raph glanced over at Claire before taking his own seat. He nodded at her before turning towards the kitchen, where the orange-masked turtle from before was carrying a large pot out to the table. Behind him, Sloan emerged as well, also carrying two pots of her own. Immediately Leo tried to get up and help her, but she gave him a look that had him slowly sinking back into his chair. She set the pots on the table, then sat down beside Leo. She glanced over and noticed Claire for the first time.

"Oh, hey!" she exclaimed, then gestured to the table. "Welcome to dinner." She smiled.

Claire grinned back. "Um, thanks."

"Well, uh, I think proper introductions are in order," Donatello went on. "Claire, this is Emily – " He motioned to the little brown-haired girl. " –Raphael, or Raph – " The red-masked turtle. " –and Michel –"

"Michelangelo!" the orange-masked turtle cut in. "Or Mikey, for short. And you already know Donnie." He wagged his eye ridges suggestively, and both Leonardo and Raph leaned over and slapped him upside the head.

"_Ow_!" he cried...

...just as a soft _tap-tap _sounded from the other room. The table instantly fell silent as the family's last remaining member made himself known.

"Well..." a calm accented voice intoned from behind Claire. She slowly turned around...then froze as she glimpsed him.

It was a giant rat. Wearing a Japanese kimono and carrying a walking stick.

"...hello there," he said, bowing slightly toward the curly-headed girl.

"H-hello," she replied. She tried not to stare. She'd seen worse-looking things on Solstice Night with her coven, and this rat was nowhere _near_ as grotesque and disgusting as that. But she'd never seen a giant rat before – she was curious. She'd had time to look at and study Donatello and his brothers so that they weren't as shocking as this _giant rat_.

"My sons have told me about you, young one," he went on. "My name is Hamato Splinter."

Claire inclined her head back towards him. "Claire Blackwood. It's very nice to meet you." She didn't know why, but this rat commanded respect, and she thought that the only thing to do in his presence was be _very _polite. "I...thank you for allowing me to stay, even if it's only for a little while."

Splinter nodded back, then began to move towards the last empty chair. "Of course." He sat down with a small sigh and folded his hands in his lap. Everyone seemed to be waiting on something else from him before filling their plates with the food. The rat looked around at the family, then held up his hands.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he said with a smile. "As they say, dig in!"

They didn't need to be told twice. As Donatello began loading his plate with what looked like wild rice and seasoned chicken, Claire noticed for the first time how hungry she was. Her stomach rumbled, but everyone else was too engrossed in their own food to take any notice. So, Claire just helped herself.

As soon as she took the first bite of chicken, she tasted an explosion of flavor. It was probably the best thing she'd ever tasted so far.

"Omigod," she murmured, her mouth slightly full. She swallowed. "This chicken is _delicious_!"

"It's Sloan's specialty," Michelangelo said from across the table. "Italian chicken!"

Claire could have sworn she saw the other girl blush. "It's no big deal..." she said quietly. "And _you_ made it, Mikey. You told me I wasn't allowed to step foot in the kitchen again."

"Yeah, but it's _your_ recipe," he countered, pointing his fork at her.

Sloan took a bite of rice and stayed quiet, her cheeks still slightly pink. She grinned as Leo leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Gawd, get a room!" Raphael said, but Claire could see him grinning as well.

"Oh, _you_ can't say anything," Donatello piped up. "When Hannah got back, we didn't even _see_ you guys for 24 hours."

Claire laughed along with the rest of them, even though she was a bit confused. Did the red-masked brother have a girl as well? And where was she? Did the others have someone special, too?

"Yeah, well, I hadn't seen 'er for _almost a year_, Donnie. What else was I supposed ta do? Give 'er a friendly hug and say 'welcome home'?" He took a sip from his soda can. "Be grateful we even interacted wit' you guys as much as we did."

Mikey snorted into his glass of water. "But you could barely keep your eyes off each other. I think you were around for all of ten minutes before you 'helped carry her bags' – " He used air quotes. " – to her room."

Raphael gave him a dark look and took a violent bite of his chicken. The curly-haired girl glanced at Splinter, wondering how he would react to this conversation. But, he was either too engrossed in his own dinner to pay attention or he didn't care what his sons were talking about.

The rest of the family was laughing, and Claire found herself realizing that, despite their odd appearances, this was a _normal_ family. Even more normal than her own twisted family, who were completely human. As they bantered back and forth, laughing and joking as brothers did, she was amazed at how _human_ they sounded. It was as if they were just another family sitting down to dinner, and not a group of mutant turtles and their rat-father/master hiding in a sewer den. They weren't supposed to exist. They went against all laws of science, but still they were sitting here, having dinner, acting as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

Little by little, the hours trickled by until finally Master Splinter stood and the table fell silent.

"Although it has been a pleasure having Miss Blackwood dine with us tonight," he began quietly, setting his walking stick on the ground. "I believe it is time for somebody escort our new friend home."

"Ooh! Ooh! I'll do it, Master! I'll – _ow!_"

Both Donatello and Raphael had smacked him. While the orange-masked turtle rubbed his aching head, all attention was placed back on Splinter.

"I was thinking that Donatello could accompany her," the rat said, beginning to walk away.

Claire blinked and looked at the purple-banded turtle beside her. He seemed to mirror her look of surprise and slight trepidation. She didn't know what she'd felt in the lab earlier, but she was hesitant to have herself in that position again – alone, with Donatello and his enchanting eyes that couldn't decide if they wanted to be dark green or brown.

But, they'd left her no choice. Michelangelo and Sloan took Emily off to do homework, and Raphael and Leonardo disappeared into the room that she'd found out to be the dojo. Which meant that Don was the only one. She sighed and turned to him, pulling on the hem of the shirt that Sloan had let her borrow.

Or given her. Claire didn't know if she'd ever be able to return it to the red-head. She didn't know if she'd ever see her new amazing friends again. Just because they allowed her to stay for dinner didn't mean that they would ever invite her down again. So, with a shrug, she followed Don out of the lair and into the darkness of the sewer beyond, trying to quell the sudden sadness in her heart.

…

Donatello shifted his bo under his long coat and pulled the brim of his hat lower, trying to cover his ears from the suddenly cold wind. Beside him, Claire shivered and hugged herself. Making a split-second decision, he took off his coat and threw it around her shoulders. He caught a brief glint of defiance in her gray eyes before turning away from her. He didn't need the coat anyway – they had already progressed to the rooftops, with him carrying her over the larger gaps that she couldn't cross on her own. The workout was enough to keep him warm, and he didn't want Claire suffering.

But, if she was, she had yet to say anything. Neither of them had. Don didn't know what to say, so he just kept his mouth shut. But it wasn't to last. After a while, the awkward silence was finally broken.

"Thanks," Claire murmured, glancing over again. "For everything."

"You can thank me by explaining what the deal with that fence was earlier." He hadn't meant it to sound snappish, but it sort of came out that way. He grimaced, instantly regretting his words. "Look, I didn't mean –"

"No, it's okay," she said. "I can imagine it seemed pretty...weird. Um..."

Don stopped on their current rooftop, waiting for her to continue. He drew his staff and used it as sort of a walking-stick to rest on. He kept his eyes on her, but she wasn't paying any attention. She was looking down at the rooftop, still clutching the material of Don's coat closer around her. She seemed to be in deep thought, and Donnie knew the best course of action was to just wait patiently for her to continue.

"I...don't think I need to tell you the importance of keeping secrets," she grinned halfheartedly.

He couldn't help the derisive snort that came from him. "No, you don't."

Claire bit her lip. "You won't believe me when I tell you the truth."

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how much I believe in." He sat down on an air conditioning duct, still waiting. She eventually sat down beside him with a deep breath.

"I'm a witch. My aunts are training my sister, Ella, and I to develop our powers enough to go out into the real world and start covens of our own. Ella specializes in potions and salves, and I deal with...well, everything else. The apartment we live in right now is owned by our coven, but we're moving across town to a little shop and apartment combo where Ella can sell her potions and make more money." She glanced up at him, gray eyes catching his hazel. "That thing you saw with the fence? That's only a fraction of what I can do when I've been practicing enough. The problem was that last night, I _hadn't _been practicing. It was a fairly elementary bit of magic, and I wasn't even able to complete it without passing out. I don't like the magic. I'd much rather focus on math and science, where there is no room for error or fantastical things." She shrugged. "And that's the truth."

Donatello blinked, still staring at her. He had to admit, it was a lot to take in. But...considering all the things he'd seen Hannah do, he found it not-so-hard to believe in. He didn't know why she went into the part about moving, but he didn't think it was that important.

"Okay," he said.

She stared back at him. "'Okay'? That's it? No 'Claire, you're crazy!' or 'What else? You've got a pet dragon'?"

Don shook his head and stood again. "Nope. I believe you wholeheartedly." He moved to step past her, but she reached out and grabbed his bo, stopping him. She looked up at him guardedly.

"Why?"

"Do you really have to ask?" he went on. "I'm a walking, talking, 6-foot-tall turtle who's brother is dating a Greek demigod." He figured since she was a witch anyway, it wouldn't come as that much of a surprise if he told her about Hannah and her parentage. And he was right – she didn't so much as bat an eye.

"But...you're the science guy. Shouldn't you at least question it a little bit?" She stood with him and followed as he began walking again. "Your eyes might have even been playing tricks on you with that fence. It was dark, after all."

He laughed. "One thing about being a ninja is that you have to be able to see perfectly in the dark." He glanced over at her. "I know what I saw, and even _felt_. Trust me, I believe you." He didn't go into how he'd felt when he'd been tracking her, but he was almost certain that the protectiveness had been a form of magic as well. It came and went too quickly for it not to be. He didn't pretend to understand it, and he thought maybe he really shouldn't. Magic was magic, after all, and as such he supposed it reserved the right to be mysterious. He filed it away under his mental "not to be understood" folder.

Claire fell silent after that, only following after him. She had told him the address of her apartment building before they'd reached the rooftops, and he was surprised to know exactly where it was. As they approached it, Don suddenly felt a sudden sense of hesitation. He glanced over at Claire and realized that he didn't want to leave her presence. She found his eyes on her, and he was surprised to see a similar hesitation in her gaze as well.

There was one long jump left until they were at the building. It was taller than the current rooftop they were on, and the jump would put them on the fire escape instead of the roof. Don held out his arms, much like the many times he'd done before that night, and Claire nodded. He gently scooped her up, trying to ignore the feeling of her arms around his neck or her curls tickling his skin. He jumped, and landed silently on the fire escape before jumping one more time. He landed right outside what Claire had told him was her window and set her down. She slowly lifted it up, much to Don's surprise, and climbed inside.

"You know, you should probably lock your window," he told her. "This _is_ New York. There are a bunch of unsavory people about."

She shrugged out of his jacket. "My aunts' magic seals it all from them," she told him. She held out the coat, then suddenly pulled it back. "Look, you did a lot to help me. The least I can do is invite you in to get warm before you go."

He opened his mouth to protest and say that he was fine, but he was suddenly shivering. Without Claire by his side, he actually realized how cold it was, and rather than suffer with his cold-bloodedness, he decided to take her up on her offer.

He climbed inside and just managed to stop himself from sighing in pleasure at the warmth that surrounded him. Claire closed the window behind him and motioned for him to make himself at home. He carefully sat in her desk chair as she hung his coat up on her open closet door.

"Won't your aunts know I'm here?" he asked. "I don't want to freak them out."

"Oh, I'm sure they do," she answered, moving toward her door. "And they won't be freaked out, trust me. They've seen worse. They already know that you mean us no harm, or else you wouldn't have been able to even enter the apartment." She smiled at him as she opened the door. "I'm going to get something hot to drink. Would you like anything?"

"Coffee." He tried not to say it, but the temptation was too great. And, hey, if she was offering, why turn it down?

"My thoughts exactly," she answered. "Be right back." She closed the door behind her, and Donatello could hear her climbing down the stairs. His ninja hearing picked up the sound of two older female voices, but they didn't sound like they'd been missing Claire. To him, they spoke to her as if she'd just gotten home from school. His brow furrowed. It seemed strange to him that they would act that way. Their niece had just returned from being gone for almost 24 hours, and they acted as if they weren't worried. Just who were these people?

He wasn't sure if he should be worried that they knew he was there, and that he wasn't human. But, a voice in his head reminded him that they were witches. They could keep secrets. He just hoped they would allow Claire to have a few non-human friends.

His eyes traveled around her room, hoping he could learn a little bit more about the girl. The desk behind him held large textbooks on physics and advanced calculus, which only proved her earlier admission towards the scientific things. There was a poster on the wall of Einstein sticking his tongue out (one of Don's personal favorite pictures), and another bulletin board tacked up with numerous photographs. From his spot, Donatello could see most of the pictures were of Claire and another girl who looked similar to her. He guessed they were twins. The other girl – Ella, he assumed – had straight hair in all the photos, and she was just a shade taller than her sister. She also had brown eyes, instead of gray. It seemed that in all the photos, Ella was being more goofy than Claire, which led him to believe that Claire was the older of the two.

A small _meow_ brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked around to see a little black kitten jump onto the twin bed in the corner. (Don couldn't help but notice the light purple comforter, and he tried not to smile). The cat looked at him with strange violet eyes, something he'd never seen in a cat before.

Granted, his only point of reference was Klunk, and that wasn't much to go on.

The cat's tail twitched, and it narrowed its eyes at the turtle. Which was strange...why was this cat looking at him like he was a criminal that needed to be interrogated? It was a little unsettling. Don tried to look away and examine the rest of the room, but his gaze was always drawn back to the cat. It never moved save for the occasional twitch of its tail.

Finally, he heard Claire climbing the steps back to her room, and he was relieved when she entered and handed him a mug filled with liquid gold.

"Thank you," he told her, taking a sip. He shuddered as the hot, bittery goodness swept over his taste buds. "I don't think your cat likes me too much."

Claire sat down on the bed as well, and the cat finally moved again. It _meow_ed and climbed into her lap, rubbing its head against her knee.

"Oh, that's just Salem," she told him, taking a sip of her own coffee. "He gets like that sometimes."

The cat turned back to Don and seemed to fix him with an appraising stare.

"Salem, stop it. He's nice," Claire suddenly said sharply. The cat's ears swiveled back, and he started to growl.

Claire scoffed and thrust him out of her lap. Salem turned, and Don could have sworn he gave her a hurt look before he forced the door open and trotted out of the room.

"Sorry," she told him. "Familiars can be a little protective."

"'Familiars'?" he repeated. "Oh, right. That's why witches have black cats and things like that."

Claire nodded. "My sister has an owl."

"Like in _Harry Potter_?"

Another nod.

"Awesome!"

Claire looked at him, startled from his outburst. "I-I mean...that's neat."

She smiled into her mug of coffee. "No wonder you were so eager to believe."

"Now, hang on," he said. "Mikey's the fanboy, here, not me, okay?"

She smiled wider. "Whatever you say..."

"Good."

"...Potter-head."

"Hey!"

She laughed then. Loud, clear peals of laughter that seemed to hit him right in the chest and take his breath away. She threw her head back, curls falling back off her face and her nose wrinkling slightly. In the dim light of the room, with the lights from the city shining through her window, she practically _glowed_. Once again, Don was hit by how pretty she was, and he found himself smiling with her.

"Hey, you know I'm going to have to tell my brothers and father about you, right?"

Claire _hmm_ed. "I know." She glanced back up at him. "Do you think they'll believe as easy as you did?"

"Oh yeah," he reassured her. "If you can convince _me_, then they shouldn't have a problem."

"But...you _saw_ what I did with the fence. They didn't."

"But I'm like you," he went on. "My world is dominated by science and math. I'm an engineer and a scientist. I have no cause to believe in magic. And yet, here I am – " He gestured around her room. "– Inside the home of a witch."

That seemed to make her feel better. They sat in companionable silence and finished their coffee, and Claire took his cup. He stood with her, surprising both her and himself.

"Um..." she began. "Well, Donatello Levi Hamato..." she bowed slightly at the waist. "Thank you for escorting me home."

"Think nothing of it, _madame_." He bowed as well, eliciting another soft giggle from her.

He didn't know what had come over him. This kind of playfulness was Mike's thing, not _his_. But, in any case, it seemed to be working. Claire was happy – happier than she'd been in the Lair, at least – which made _him_ happy in turn.

She smiled, but then it fell as he reached for his coat and hat. "Hey, will...will I ever see you again?"

"You can count on it," he answered, pulling an arm through his coat. "Once I tell Mikey about you, there'll be no keeping him away."

Claire grimaced. "I don't know if my aunts would want _four_ mutant turtles around." She sighed. "Speaking of which, I never got the story of how you guys came to be?"

Don grinned. "That," he said, moving towards the window and slapping his hat on his head. "Is a story for another day, Claire." He checked his watch. "I'm already going to be late getting back."

"Okay, well..." she glanced down at the floor, and Don saw her cheeks redden slightly. "Y'know, don't be a stranger. You're always welcome here."

"Thanks."

She shrugged. "It's the least I can do after everything you did for me." She smiled, and once again it was like a sucker punch to his gut. He didn't know what was going on...but he wasn't apt to stop it anytime soon.

He climbed out her window and gave her a salute before shutting it behind him. "No more midnight walks, okay? We'll be in touch."

And with that, he left.

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**FA-la-la-la-la, la-la-REVIEW! ^-^**


	7. Video Games and Love Spells

**Okay, let me take a break from my normal shpiel up here for once. I just have to say *takes deep breath and jumps around in stupid-looking circles and waves her arms dangerously* OHMYGOD LesMiserablesLesMiserablesLe sMiserablesLesMiserablesLesM iserablesLesMiserablesLesMis erablesLesMiserablesLesMiser ablesLesMiserables!  
*Squeeeee* Okay, I'm done. But seriously, you guys need to SEE THIS MOVIE!**

***Ahem* Okay, back to my normal stuff. I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, Christmas got in the way. I hope you all had a lovely holiday season, and consider this to be a belated present of sorts :) Also, the world didn't end...I was waiting for that to update. There's a little more witchy stuff in here, including some mention of holidays. I don't want to offend anybody, and I got my info from a random site about Wicca. So...I guess what I'm saying is if it's either untrue, or offends anyone, don't blame me. All right, here we go!**

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"Dude! She's a witch?!" Mikey asked him, his chin resting on the back of the couch.

Don nodded. He'd returned to the lair only a few short minutes before to find his family had already conveniently gathered in the main room. He'd wasted no time in telling them Claire's secret, and (like he'd promised her), they were quick to believe.

Having a demigod in the family, plus having been on so many other incredible adventures really drove the cynic out of a person.

In any case, after the initial explanation everybody seemed to accept it and moved on. Feeling like he was in a good mood, Don decided to sit down and play a video game with his younger brother. It was actually rather pleasant...until Mikey started pestering him about details.

"So-so, like, what else can she do, besides the deal with the fence?" he asked, putting the game on pause.

"She didn't show me," Donatello replied, running his thumb over the controller buttons distractedly. "And she doesn't like doing magic, for some reason."

Michelangelo gave him a confused look and unpaused the game. "Why not? It would be _totally awesome_ to be able to do magic! Why doesn't Claire like it?"

Don shrugged and turned his attention back to the game. "She likes science."

Mikey nudged him with his elbow. "And math, too, I bet." He laughed and pressed a button that blew Donatello's character sky high. "You two would make the _cutest_ nerd couple!"

He guffawed loudly until Don palmed his face and pushed him off the couch. The genius turtle stood and made his way into the lab, his previous good mood ruined. On his way, he passed the dojo and stopped to watch as his older brothers sparred. Sloan was sitting in a chair in the corner (because it was getting increasingly difficult for her to get up off the floor), reading the same book she'd been for a week now. Don watched Leo and Raph go at it for a while, noticing that there was significantly less stress in the room.

Of course, the two oldest had girls to help with that, so it didn't surprise Don in the slightest. He reached over his shoulder and fingered the tip of his staff, wondering if they would let him join in. Then he thought better of it when Leo and Raph stopped sparring and started wrestling instead, each trying to give the other a wet willie and laughing. Sloan just glanced up and shook her head, muttering about boys.

Don grinned and turned for the lab, but he wasn't quick enough to escape Sloan's wandering blue eyes. She stood and began to follow him. He didn't mind. Out of all of them, Sloan was probably the only one who really respected his lab and the things in it. His mind decided to suddenly bring up the subject of Claire, and he wondered how _she_ would treat his lab.

_Hopefully the same way I do,_ He thought. _That is, if she ever feels the desire to come down here again. Somehow I doubt it. _

"Did Claire make it back safely?" Sloan asked, falling into step beside him.

He knew she didn't really mean her question; had Claire _not_ gotten back safely he wouldn't have just abandoned her and returned to the lair. No, what Sloan was really asking was "What do you think of Claire?"

Ever since she and Leo had married, Sloan had been on his case about finding someone as well. She was adamant that there was a girl out there for both him and Mikey, and that they would find each other eventually. Since he'd been the one to bring Claire down, and since they seemed to share so many interests, he could understand why the red-head was pushing him.

"Yeah, I got her back," he replied, opening the lab door for Sloan. She walked in and he followed, heading straight for the computer. Sloan took a seat across the room in the same chair she'd sat in earlier.

"So..." she began slowly.

Don chuckled. "She invited me inside for coffee and to warm up, and we talked a bit. She's a witch who doesn't like to use her magic." He typed on the keyboard, bringing the huge monitor in front of him to life.

"Hm," Sloan answered. "Explains how she knew so much about this pendant." He glanced over to see her fingering the metal Triad around her neck. "She told me it inspired magic."

"Interesting," he said. "Oh! And she has a cat that doesn't like me."

Sloan laughed at that. "How do you know?"

"Because he glared at me the entire time until she shooed him away."

"Donnie..."

He turned and faced her, hearing the incredulity in her voice. She raised a reddish-brown eyebrow at him. "It's a cat. It can't _glare_ at you."

"He's a witch's familiar," Don said and looked back at the computer. "Familiars are more sentient than normal animals. Some believe that they can communicate directly to their counterparts."

"How do you know so much? Did Claire tell you all that?"

He decided not to tell her that he'd looked up witches and their familiars on his phone while he'd made his way home earlier. He shook his head. "I...I just know."

She snorted and stood, waving a hand dismissively. "Okay, whatever." But she smiled and patted him on the shoulder as she left. "Don't stay up too late, all right?"

"You got it." He grinned over his shoulder, then set back to work as the lab door closed behind his sister-in-law.

The next time he looked at the clock, it was three in the morning and his hazel eyes were _tired_. He stretched and turned the computer off, then made his way slowly up to his room. His mind went unbidden to Claire, again. He wondered if he could go see her the next night. Or maybe that was too soon? Maybe he should wait until a week later? He didn't know her phone number, and he hadn't given her his. (_In hindsight_, he thought. _That might have been a good idea._) But he knew where she lived, or would be living until she moved, so he could still go see her.

He frowned, another thought suddenly occurring to his tired mind. _Why_ did he still want to see her so badly? It couldn't have been that she was funny, and liked the same things he did, and didn't seem put off by his appearance...could it?

Suddenly, Logical Donnie kicked in and he scolded himself for thinking such foolish things. _This is nothing but infatuation brought on by the blind hope that she might grow to like you. Nothing more. You need to forget about her and move on with your life and your work. You saved her, she was grateful. You should leave it at that._

But, as Don lay down in his soft bed and turned off the light, he couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking of him as well.

…

A week passed. Then two.

Then four.

Then six.

Thanksgiving came and went, although it was nothing more to Claire and Ella than three days off from school. They and their aunts, along with the ten other members of their coven, celebrated their "Thanksgiving feast" at the time of the Autumn equinox at the end of September, a holiday they called Mabon. Claire had forced herself to sit through it, enduring endless praise over Ella's skills and disdain towards her reluctance to accept her "heritage."

Her family was now getting ready for the next celebration, Solstice Day. It would come just before Christmas, and their family would put up what most people thought were traditional Christmastime decorations. However, the Blackwoods' decorating was rooted in much deeper traditions.

They had already moved to their new home. It had gone fairly simply, what with the aid of a few transportation spells. They'd hardly had to pack their car up. Claire remembered standing on the front stoop of the new shop, right next to an antique shop called "2nd Time Around," and feeling less than excited to be away from where their mother grew up.

But Ella loved it, and seeing her twin happy inadvertently made Claire feel better about the whole situation. Even though she embraced her magic to the point of insanity, Claire couldn't help but think her twin was in her element. She'd sold almost all of her lotions and shampoos before their first week in the new place had passed, and she was working hard every night on new formulas and ideas.

As a result, she got even better at her chemistry and biology work. Both twins were gifted with great minds, but Ella had always been more focused on her magic. Now that her very livelihood was riding on what she made, she poured herself into her scientific studies even more. She steadily rose in the ranks of their class.

Claire, on the other hand, was surprised to find that she was falling behind. Every time she tried to concentrate on her homework, a strange flash of purple would enter her mind's eye, and she lost focus. She spent hours on her homework each night, and eventually just gave up on it altogether. She couldn't do her work, not while Donatello and his brothers were still around.

None of her new friends contacted her at all, which worried her. She'd thought that she and Donnie had hit it off right from the start. Out of all of them, she felt drawn to him the most. Even now, as she was sitting on the bay window seat in her new room, her mind kept going back to the day he'd caught her in his lab, how strong he'd seemed when he'd lifted her effortlessly onto the cot, how good it had felt when he'd wrapped his coat around her, accidentally brushing the sensitive skin on the back of her neck as he did so...

She shook her head, mentally rebuking herself for having the silly thoughts in the first place. They weren't practical, nor were they going to be helpful. She berated herself for starting to fall for a giant turtle...how absurd could one person get? He didn't even have their phone number or new address. How was he supposed to get in touch with her?

Even so, her mind played tricks on her in her sleep. She constantly heard his voice, calling out to her. Every night she dreamed of his hands, slowly stroking her face and hair, or his eyes that had so enchanted her at their first meeting. She knew the dreams would plague her at night, and on many occasions she had thought about using sleep spells to help get rid of them. But she decided against the magic (whether by principal alone or the fact that she really didn't _want_ to stop dreaming of him, she never wanted to figure out) and toughed it out. Despite the sleep, she woke up every morning groggy and cranky, as if she'd only gotten a few hours of rest the night before. Even her (now large) daily cup of coffee wasn't enough to perk her up anymore.

One night, during this sixth week after her meeting with the turtles, she suddenly realized what was going on. In a fit of rage, she practically flew down the stairs to the kitchen, where she knew her aunts would still be awake. There they were, playing cards at the kitchen table, not looking a bit surprised at her angry state.

"You two..." she barely managed, pointing a shaking finger at them. "Had better stop messing around with my life."

"Whatever do you mean, dear?" Beatrice asked, not looking up from her hand. She placed a card in the discard pile and drew another, frowning at it.

"I know you placed a spell on me that night when I went out," Claire went on. "That only a good person would find me if I got into trouble."

"So?" Alice asked, also drawing a new card. "We always do that, for both you and your sister."

"But you also placed another spell on me, didn't you?"

The aunts froze; their only movement was to raise their eyes to each other in a worried look. They remained silent.

"_Didn't you_?" Claire repeated through clenched teeth. She looked from one aunt to the other, gray eyes sparking with anger. She could feel her hand tingling, which was never a good sign. She needed to calm down before she destroyed something. But, at the moment, calming down was the least of her worries.

"What did you _do_?"

"We...were worried." Beatrice was the first to look away and speak. "You're fast approaching 18, when you would be sent out into the world. You hadn't practiced your magic, and – "

" – and we were afraid that you would end up with nothing and no one to help you," Alice continued. "So, we also placed a different spell on you that night. A...well, a love spell."

"You _what_?!"

"Let's try to be rational, here – "

"_Rational_?! You're screwing with my life, and _I don't appreciate it_! You've got me falling for a giant turtle, how is _that_ going to help me in life?!"

They feigned surprise, but Claire was quick to dispell it. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You both knew what he was when he stepped into the house last month."

"Darling, we just want you to be happy," Beatrice smiled.

"I _am_ happy! I'm a happy person! See?" She pointed to her angry face. "Happy, happy, happy! At least, I _will_ be when you two stop meddling around in my love life!"

"Oh, please," Alice scoffed, setting down her hand of cards with a _bang_. "What love life? You never showed any interest in the boys at your school before. Your love life was nonexistent. Unless we stepped in, you'd end up like an old maid!"

"What, like _you two_?"

The comment didn't even bother them. "Dear, maybe this...Donatello, is it?...Maybe you're drawn to him so much because he's so much like you."

"You don't even _know_ him!" Claire fired back. "In that case, neither do I!"

Alice sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Claire, listen. Our spell was only meant to strengthen an attraction that was already there."

"But, I only met him – "

"But _he_ was the first one you were attracted to after the spell was cast," Alice explained. "And our spell just strengthened it."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't feeling the same things right about now," Beatrice told her, smiling sweetly.

"But...but I...and you..." Claire spluttered before plopping down in a seat with a giant sigh. "It's not practical."

"_Nothing _about love is practical, dear," Beatrice told her, squeezing her hand. "That's what makes it so _wonderful_."

Claire leaned forward until her head was on the table. "What if he _is_ feeling the same things?" she asked. "He doesn't know how to find me. The last time I saw him we were still in the old house."

"Eventually, the desire to see you will grow too strong, and he won't be able to ignore it," Alice told her, gathering up the cards and shuffling them. "As a matter of fact, _your_ feelings will only grow as well. There's no stopping you two from meeting again, I can assure you."

"Is there any way to reverse it?" Claire asked as Alice dealt her into their game of Go Fish.

"Not at this point," Beatrice answered. "It's progressed too far. It isn't even a spell any more. It's true attraction."

Claire grumbled and picked up her cards, not even smiling when she saw that her aunt had dealt her the Queen of hearts. She gave her coarser aunt a scathing look before focusing on the game. If she was to fall in love with a turtle with a little help from magic, who was she to say no?

* * *

**Woo! Another chapter! Now give me a belated present as well and REVIEWWWW!**


	8. Welcome Back

**CAFFEINE! OMG you guys, I just wrote 2 whole chapters for this 0-0. Which means...yes, ladies and germs, I'm updating twice in one night! Woohoo! Consider it a...New Year's gift? Yeah, let's go with that. Thanks to all the reviews and positive feedback I've been getting for this story, it's all pretty rockin :). And so, I hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE New Year!**

**Onward!**

* * *

Something was up with the Genius. Normally, Raphael could hear the sound of his tools coming from either his lab or the far-off garage, but it was strangely quiet. There wasn't even a sign of Donatello anywhere. For the past month, he'd spent increasingly less time in his lab, and even underground in general. Raph knew his purple-masked brother was going topside, because he was acting like Raph had when he was the Nightwatcher.

The only thing was Raphael couldn't understand _why_ Don was going topside so often. The Genius wasn't really the "loner" type. He'd thought about following him on numerous occasions, but had thought better of it. Raph figured if Donnie was going topside, he had a good reason and was smart enough to stay out of real trouble. But that still didn't answer the question of _what_ he was doing up there. Raphael fingered the remote in his hand thoughtfully as he stared at the television set, not really watching it. He didn't even stop Mikey from snatching the remote and changing the channel – he was _that_ lost within his own thoughts.

"Dude," Michelangelo said, sitting down on the other side of the couch. "What's up with you?"

"Just thinkin'."

Mikey snorted. "Well, that's dangerous. I was wondering why I smelled smoke."

Raph rolled his eyes, but didn't rise to his brother's bait. "You noticed Donnie actin' weird lately?"

His youngest brother took a swig from the soda can in his hand and tilted his head. "Yeah, a bit. He's just probably working through a new invention or something."

"I dunno, Mike. It jus' seems...off fer him ta go topside every night."

Michelangelo shrugged. "Maybe that's where he gets his inspiration."

The brothers turned their attention back to the TV for a while before Raph broke the silence again.

"Think he's goin' ta see Claire?" he asked, not looking away from the TV.

"Mm...could be," Mikey answered. "She and him _did_ seem to get along pretty good. And we don't know what happened when he took her home. They could've gotten _pretty _close." He raised his eye ridges suggestively.

"Ah, I don' t'ink so," Raphael told him. "'Er else he would've looked more flustered when he got home. An' he talked ta us about it like he was fine. I don' t'ink anything happened."

Mikey took another sip of soda. "Kinda sucks, though. I mean, after what he went through with Sloan, I wanted him to find someone to make him feel better, y'know?"

"Yeah." Raphael was suddenly struck with an intense pang of longing for Hannah again. He'd been having them more often in the weeks since she'd gone back to Camp, but she'd told them that she would be back before Thanksgiving. Now, it was the beginning of December, and she still wasn't there. Mikey seemed to catch on to his somber mood, for the youngest turtle placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, she'll be here soon, bro," he told Raph. "She promised. When has Hannah ever gone back on a promise?"

"She hasn't," Raph grinned. "Ah, I just want 'er ta be careful. Maybe it hasn't been safe enough fer her ta try ta come down here."

"Does she know _how_ to get here?" Mikey asked. "Is she gonna come the normal way or drive that awesome car of hers or what?"

"I dunno. She just told me that she could find it on her own. I dunno if Poseidon is helping her again, but she thinks she can find us no problem."

Mikey just nodded and turned back to the television. Raphael was suddenly struck with another realization, and he looked down at his watch.

"You realize it's been ten minutes, and I ain't hit you or yelled at you at all?"

Michelangelo grinned at his red-masked brother. "Believe it or not, Raphy, I _am_ capable of maturity."

Raph snorted. "Yeah, but fer how long?"

"I'm about to reach my limit, so if you wanna hang onto this awesome brotherly-bonding feeling, I'd suggest you leave before I turn on the Xbox."

The red-masked turtle chuckled and stood, giving his youngest brother a noogie before leaving. "You got it, Knucklehead."

He moved to go into the kitchen to make himself some dinner. Upon entering, he found Sloan sitting on a cushioned chair at the table. She had a steaming cup of tea in front of her with one hand holding her book and the other resting on her swollen stomach. She was reaching the end of her pregnancy, and she looked like she was ready to pop. If Raph's calculations were right, she was just past being 8 months pregnant.

"Hey," he greeted her on his way to the refrigerator.

"Hey Raph," she answered, placing her spot in the book and setting it down. She waited until he had taken a seat across from her with a bowl of cereal before she spoke again.

"Really? Cereal?" she scoffed. "If you guys would just let me fix you dinner, you'd be able to eat like kings again."

"No," he told her immediately. "Donnie told you ta take it easy this last month. Dat means no cookin', cleanin', or anyt'ing else dat involves too much movement."

The red-head sighed and took a drink of her tea, shuddering as she swallowed. "Fine. But as soon as I'm healthy enough, I'm cooking you guys the greatest feast you've ever had."

"I'm gonna hold ya ta that, Sloan," he told her, taking a bite of his dinner. "But first, ya gotta have dis baby and recover, and Mikey is gonna hafta make Christmas dinner fer us, got it?"

She scowled at him and just drank her tea.

"Come on, he did a pretty good job wit' Thanksgiving, right? Just give 'im one 'a yer dad's old recipie's and he'll make it perfect. You'll see."

"I can't believe you're complimenting him."

"Hey, he might be a Knucklehead sometimes, but dat don't mean I won't let 'im cook fer me. He can make a mean dish, an' you know it."

"Yeah," she smiled, then jumped slightly and laughed. Just before Raphael could ask what was wrong with her, Sloan reached for his hand and pulled it over to rest on her belly.

"Raph, the baby's kicking!"

And sure enough, he felt it. There, right under his palm, was the smallest of vibrations. Over and over the little foot (or fist – the baby could be _punching_) banged against the side of Sloan's stomach. It was as if the little guy inside was saying "Let me out! I'm done! I'm ready to see the real world!"

Raphael exhaled shakily. Sure, he knew Sloan was pregnant, but this was the first time he'd actually been able to feel the baby kick. He'd heard Leo and Mikey both talk about it, and had even been there when Don had shown them all the recording of her first sonogram. The Genius had pointed to a tiny little spot and, with the biggest smile on his face, explained to them all that it was the baby's heart. So, Raph knew that there was a baby growing inside Sloan.

But it had taken up until that moment for the reality to really _hit_ him. The thing inside her was _alive_ and moving around. He couldn't understand how the kid was suffocating, but he knew that it was just another miracle of carrying a child. In a little less than a month, the baby inside Sloan would finally be welcomed into their world, and they would have another little mouth to feed. But, it would be worth it, just to see Sloan get to be a mom and Leo be a dad.

Raphael kept his hand on her stomach until the baby stopped kicking, then he pulled it back. He opened his mouth to say something, but he just couldn't find the right words to say. So he just smiled and squeezed her hand, moving to throw his now-soggy cereal away. For some strange reason, he wasn't hungry any more.

"Oh! Before I forget..." Sloan suddenly said. "What time is it?"

"Uh..." Raph checked his watch. "Almost seven. Why?"

"Oh, um, no reason," she answered, standing up. "I think I hear Mikey calling you."

He didn't hear anything, and _he_ had ninja ears. But judging by the way she was acting, Raph knew something was up. She kept looking around him but not _at_ him, a sure sign she was hiding something.

"Oooookay," he said slowly, allowing her to push him towards the kitchen door. He let her guide him into the main room, and suddenly she retreated back into the kitchen. Mikey wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Well dis is weird," he murmured.

Suddenly there was a loud bang in the direction of the front door, effectively startling Raphael. He actually reached for his weapons before remembering that they were still in his room. The bang repeated itself, and then again a third time.

"Is anyone else gonna see what dat is?" he yelled, but no-one was around to answer him. Grumbling and on-edge, Raph made his way to the front door and put in the code to unlock it with slight trepidation. It swung open with a hiss and Raph stood back, ready to attack whatever it was head-on before it could get to the rest of his family.

"It's about _time_ somebody came to the door!" a startlingly familiar voice said from the darkness. Raph's heart thumped hard in his chest involuntarily as he raced forward.

"H-Hannah?!"

She was standing on the other side of the doorway, a duffel bag in one hand and a large suitcase in the other, her blond hair in slight disarray.

"No, it's the Tooth Fairy," she said, but she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Raph met her in two strides and engulfed her in a tight hug, nearly making her drop her belongings.

"All right, Red," she told him, laughing. "There'll be plenty of time for that later. As for right now...would you mind helping me out?" She shrugged her shoulders as he stepped back, and he took the larger of her bags from her.

"Sorry," he said, also smiling. "I just...I wasn't expectin' you ta be so...conventional."

Hannah shrugged again, shouldering the duffel bag for more comfort, and followed him into the lair. The door hissed closed behind them and locked itself automatically.

"Well, my grandpa couldn't help me find you guys, but he found April and Casey. They told me how to get down." She was looking around at the lair, and with a jolt Raph realized that she had never been down to their home before.

"Well, whaddaya t'ink?" he asked.

She whistled low. "This is really nice, Raph. Can't believe no one knows you guys are down here."

"We're good at hidin'." He reached the stairs and began to haul her bag up towards his room. "Hey...does anyone else know you were comin'?"

"Sloan and Mikey knew," Hannah replied, still following him. "I contacted her yesterday and told her to keep it a surprise...until Mikey walked in on our Iris message and found out as well." She laughed. "Sloan threatened him with violence to get him to keep it a secret."

Raphael had to laugh at that. "He hid it well. I was around 'im fer a good hour today and he didn't even let it on."

"He was probably too scared of what Sloan would do to him if she found out."

They reached his room, and he pulled her bag inside and turned on the light. He was about to welcome her, but stopped when he noticed something strange.

His hammock was still hanging in its normal spot, but now there was a large full-sized bed in the middle of his floor. He stared at it – the crisp sheets, the new pillows, all of it – for a good minute before Hannah dropped her bag on the floor and shook his arm.

"Earth to Raphael," she said. "Anything wrong?"

He pointed to the bed. "Dat's new..."

"Where'd it come from?"

He shrugged. "I guess someone set it up while I was workin' out downstairs dis mornin'. I haven't been up here since."

"Hmm..." Hannah suddenly took a running start and leaped onto the mattress headfirst, twisting in midair so that she landed on her back. She sighed in appreciation at the apparent softness of the mattress.

"Mmm...comfy."

And then Raph got a devious smile on his face, and closed and locked the door behind him. Then he jumped and pinned her down on the mattress, kissing her as he did so. When he finally pulled back and set his forehead against hers, she laughed.

"Missed you, kid," he said.

"I missed you too, you big lug."

…

He tried.

He tried _so hard_, but it was as if she simply refused to be ignored. No matter what he did, he just couldn't escape her. When he tried to tinker with any of his inventions, her stormy gray eyes would enter his vision instead. When he closed his eyes to try to sleep, he could feel her soft, curly hair winding around his fingers. When he dreamed, he dreamed of her voice, calling his name, laughing, telling him to come find her.

He hadn't slept in two weeks.

He'd started going topside at night to try and get his restless mind off of her. But, it just reminded him of the night they met. Eventually, he began searching the city for her new dwelling place. He started listening to conversations with some of his tech gear, hoping to hear something about "strange new neighbors, all female, with a cat and a weird owl." So far, he hadn't heard a single thing. But that didn't stop him from searching.

_This is insane_, he thought as he jumped from her old apartment window for the fifth time that night. _I only met the girl once. There should be no logical reason for wanting to see her again so badly._ Still, he went searching every night. No one had moved into the apartment yet (thankfully), so every night he began his search there. He remembered her saying something about moving "across town," but she hadn't gone into specifics then. As he headed east, he replayed the events of that first night over again, like he'd been doing the last six weeks, trying to see if there was anything she said or did that he missed. There could have been another clue in there somewhere.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, slowly turning back the way he came. The night he took her home, when she'd told him about moving, she'd glanced up in the direction they had been facing.

"_Yes_!" he exclaimed, then made his way back to that rooftop. He barely landed on it before jumping again, off like a shot. Now that he had a direction, he felt as if his energy was renewed. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

_But_, his logical mind reminded him. _This is just a _general_ direction. In all actuality, she could be anywhere._

Donnie skidded to a stop on the current roof, kicking up dust and gravel. He gasped for breath, realizing that the logical side of his brain was right. It was hopeless to find her in this city. He slowly sank down onto a large pipe, resting his elbows on his knees and hanging his head. For a while, he did nothing but sit there and think.

_This is stupid. She could be anywhere in this sprawling mess. And just because she looked in _this_ specific direction doesn't necessarily mean that they moved over here. __My desire to see her has completely overshadowed my own common sense and practicality. I'd be better off just going home and forgetting about her. _

But he'd already tried that – multiple times. There was just no way for him to forget her.

He noticed for the first time how cold it was and how clearly he could see his breath. He'd dressed in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants to ward off most of the cold, and his constant running and jumping had kept him warm. But, now that he had been sitting for a while, he began to shiver. But he didn't want to return to the lair. He knew Hannah would probably be there – Mikey had him help set up the bed in Raph's room earlier, and the little goofball had spilled the beans. He also didn't want to admit defeat so soon.

He hugged himself and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander for a little bit. Maybe his subconscious would come up with an idea to keep him out just a bit longer. Suddenly, it came to him.

April's shop was in this same direction, and since he was already halfway there, why not just drop in and say hi, check on things, see what was new around the shop. So, with a new goal in mind, he set off again, this time going at a much more reasonable pace.

He arrived at April and Casey's apartment fifteen minutes later, landing lightly outside their living room window. He knocked lightly, hoping they weren't too busy to accommodate one of their cold-blooded friends. Don started shivering again, and he knocked more insistently.

Still no answer.

Growling in frustration, he fished his phone out of his belt (maneuvering somewhat angrily between the thick cotton garments of his disguise) and called their home number. He heard their phone ringing inside, and April's pre-recorded voice spoke into his ear.

"_Hi there, this is April O'Neil and Casey Jones. We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and num_ – "

Don hung up with a hissed curse, finally remembering why the couple wouldn't be home. It was the week of their anniversary, and Casey and treated April to a vacation cruise in the Caribbean. Groaning, Don put his hand that still held his phone to his forehead. He was really hoping his human friends could distract him for a couple of hours. He didn't even know the alarm code to the shop, or else he'd just go down there and warm up a bit.

He leaned forward and placed his head and his hand against the cold glass of the window, trying to figure out his next move.

Suddenly, it was as if his vision was pulled sideways, towards the building right next to April's shop. It was just a bit larger, being three stories, and he could just make out the words _Blackwood Apothecary_ on the sign above the door. He blinked at it.

Blackwood...

_Blackwood..._

"_Holy shit!_" He suddenly exclaimed, and he was off again. He climbed to the roof of Casey and April's building, almost slipping up and falling in his haste (which a ninja should never do, but really who was watching?). He jumped across the small gap and landed on the second-story fire escape. He almost tapped on the window there, but something was drawing him up one more floor. He climbed silently, trying to ignore the way his heart was racing and how sweaty his hands had suddenly gotten. He finally made it to the top, taking a deep breath before glancing into the window. And what he saw nearly made him cry out with relief and happiness.

There she was, sitting at her desk and doing her homework by candlelight, one knee pulled up to her chest and her non-writing arm wrapped around it. She was dressed in a black tank top and purple pajama pants, with her curly hair pulled up in one of those messy-but-stylish buns. Salem was curled up on her bed, which was now situated on the opposite side of the room as it had been before. In fact, the entire room had been rearranged, but that was to be expected as they had moved. Don looked around a bit more and was surprised to find more purple items in her room. There were purple and lilac shirts in her closet, her sheets were purple as well as her comforter, even the candle she was burning was purple.

Suddenly, he couldn't help himself any more. He swallowed past a lump in his throat before tapping softly on the window. He saw Salem's eyes immediately open and his tail twitch, but his attention was soon drawn to Claire.

She had glanced around at the sound of his tap, and now that she saw him a huge smile broke out on her face and her pale cheeks flushed pink. She stood up so fast that her desk chair fell over, but in her haste to get to the window she didn't seem to care. She had to crawl over her bed to get to him, but it looked to Don like she simply vaulted over it and practically _flew_ to meet him. She threw the bay window open and stepped back as he jumped inside, not even pausing to appreciate the warmth.

"Donnie – "

His arms flew around her, surprising her and eliciting a soft "eep" from her. He held her tightly to him, burying his face in her curls. He felt her holding on just as tight, could even feel how hard her heart was hammering against his plastron. He suddenly wondered if he could make it go faster. His hand went unbidden to her hair, and he gently pulled it free, running his fingers over the soft tresses. He heard her sigh, and could feel her pulling at the knot in his mask...

* * *

**Oh, what just happened? 0.0 Reviewwww!**


	9. Finally

And suddenly...practical Donnie was back.

He let go of her so quickly it was as if she'd burned him, stepping back against her wall. He glanced at her, afraid to see disgust or hatred or even hurt in her gaze, but she mirrored his same slightly shocked and abashed expression.

"Um..." he began. "Claire, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I – "

"Oh, I do," she cut him off with a sigh, finally looking away from him. She reached down and righted her desk chair and sat back down. He followed her lead and sat tentatively on her mattress. This time, instead of Salem growling at him, the little black kitten _meow_ed softly and butted Don's hand with his head, asking to be petted. Donnie obliged, and soon the little kitten was tucked away in his lap.

"You want to explain to me what the hell's been going on?" Don asked the curly-haired girl.

She crossed her legs in the chair, holding onto her ankles, and gave him an apologetic look.

"The night you rescued me, my aunts cast a spell on me. If I happened to get into any trouble, only someone with a purely good heart would come to my rescue, and he or she would protect me until the danger had passed...even if it cost them their life."

Don just gazed at her for a moment, trying not to appreciate all the subtle curves she was unintentionally showing off. He focused on petting Salem, instead. "Well," he finally said. "That explains why I felt so protective of you that night."

That seemed to surprise her. "Y-you did?"

He nodded, not able to keep the tale inside any longer. "It was like something was guiding me toward you. I was frantic to get to you, even though at the time I had no idea who you were or why I was trying so hard to keep you safe. And when I saw those Purple Dragons trying to..." He paused, a sudden flash of anger reminiscent of that night making his blood boil. He shook his head. "I'm pretty sure all three of them are drinking through a straw now, if you get my drift." Donatello picked the little cat up and set him gently on the floor, leaning forward to look at Claire better.

"But that still doesn't explain what's been happening to me this past month or so."

"Six weeks, actually," she corrected him. When he gave her a questioning look, she stared at the floor and blushed.

"I've been counting," she said in a small voice. "Anyway, they apparently cast another spell on me that night, one without my knowledge."

"Go on..."

She seemed reluctant to tell him, and he finally started catching on. "Oh..." he began, clearing his throat. "It-it was a love spell. One that might have made you fall for your rescuer...and vice-versa?"

She grimaced, blushing an even darker shade of pink. Don told himself that he needed to focus on what she was saying and not how her blush made her eyes stand out even more.

"Sort of," she answered. "It was meant to...latch on to a certain attraction, for lack of a better term, and simply...increase the level of attraction between the two parties."

"So it took a small attraction and basically blew it out of proportion until it was all we could do to stay apart, is that it?"

She smiled at him, and had he not been sitting down he was fairly certain his knees would have gone weak. "Basically."

"So...what do we do about it?"

She dropped her legs and rested her elbows on her knees, putting her chin in her hands. "I'm not sure. I already asked the aunts to take it back but...they said it wasn't even a spell anymore. It was full-blown attraction."

"So then what we're feeling _isn't_ a spell, then," Don said, and he could feel his spirits rising again. He hadn't been sure about the situation when Claire told him about wanting to take it back, but now that it _couldn't_ be taken back... "This is real."

She blushed again and looked away, her voice growing small and shy. "I...I guess."

Donatello couldn't help it. He found it all extremely cute...and it had him suddenly moving towards her. He touched her bare shoulders gently, kneeling before her at the same time he slowly drew his palms down her arms. He felt her shudder, and also couldn't help but notice how soft her skin felt under his callused hands. He was somewhat surprised at his boldness. He'd never been romantically involved with anyone, but he'd seen enough of how Leo and Raph acted with their girls to have taken a few mental pointers. Claire blushed again, and Don's breath caught in his throat.

God, he hoped he was doing this right.

"So...what do we do about this love spell, for lack of a better term?" he asked, using her same words from before. His voice didn't even sound like his own – it was way too gruff.

"It's not a spell, exactly," she replied. Her voice still had that soft, almost whispery tone to it. "It's more like...extreme mutual attraction."

"Then what do we do about this extreme mutual attraction?" His hands slowly slid up her arms again.

"Let it – " She licked her lips. " – run its course?"

He let his hands slide down again, and this time it was like he was no longer in control of his body. There was no stopping him now, and judging by the way Claire had just reacted to his touch, he didn't think she would mind too much either.

…

She exhaled shakily, her arms still tingling from where he'd touched her. She was looking down into his eyes – those completely _enchanting_ hazel eyes – and she could feel like she was losing herself in them. As if they had their own mind, her hands went to trace the soft material of his mask. She was curious – she hadn't seen him without it, and she wanted to know what he looked like underneath. Her hands trailed around to the knot in the back, her arms going completely around his head and her eyes asking a silent question.

"Go on," he said, his voice low and gruff. "I want you to take it off."

She exhaled again, this time her heart thumping almost painfully hard as she slowly untied the knot. Her fingers fumbled over it a couple of times, but eventually she had it untied. Donatello's mask fell away, and his face was completely uncovered before her. His olive-green skin shone in the light from the single candle on her desk, and she realized with a small jolt that she wanted to touch him, wanted to feel his skin under her hands. She began to trace his head, his cheeks, his...nose? Beak?...whatever. She traced over that too. She trailed down to his neck, and wherever her fingers went he rolled his head the opposite way so that she could get to more of his skin. He sighed and his beautiful eyes closed.

Claire wanted to feel his plastron and shell, too, so she let her hands trail down his front to the hem of his hoodie and pulled it off. He didn't object as she tossed it aside and continued to trace his features. She moved back and forth across his collarbone, then went to the yellowish-tan plates of his plastron. She marveled at how hard they were, and yet they still gave the smallest bit under her fingers. She couldn't reach farther than his upper plates, so she just moved slowly up to his shoulders.

He sighed again, and his arms went around her waist. He leaned forward and rested his head on her thigh, allowing her to get a better angle at his exposed shoulders and shell. She traced over every single hard plate carefully, noting how they all felt almost as hard as rocks.

The way Donnie was situated, Claire could easily see and get to his side plates on one side as well. So, she leaned over a bit further and gently trailed her fingers down them as well. She heard him gasp and felt him shudder against her, and she suddenly pulled back. He did as well, looking up into her face.

"S-sorry," she barely managed. She didn't know what had come over her, but she just couldn't get enough of him. She wanted to say something more, but the feel of his hands on her bare back stopped her. His hands had found their way under her shirt, and he slowly moved his fingers up and down and across her lower back, all the while looking up with those eyes of his.

"See?" he said softly. "I can do it, too."

She didn't answer...instead she leaned forward and rested against his shoulder so he could get to more of her back. He moved up to her shoulder blades, then slowly traced up and down her spine with one finger. Then he suddenly pulled away from her back and out from under her shirt and pulled her down onto the floor with him so that she was kneeling with him, her body flush with his. He wrapped one arm around her waist, keeping her close to him, while the other hand went to run across the back of her neck and into her hair. She sighed again and let him touch her, leaning her head against his shoulder again. Gooseflesh rose up on her skin, but she didn't care. It was warm, tucked up against him.

Don suddenly ran his finger slowly down the back of her neck, then slipped it under the top of her shirt and traced her spine one more time. For some reason this time it was more sensitive, as it made Claire suddenly gasp and arch her body closer into his. She was suddenly very aware of how little she was wearing, and knew that Donatello could probably feel every curve of her body pressed so tight against him. His eyes grew wide, and she knew her guess was correct.

And suddenly, she didn't care any more. So what if this was only because of a stupid spell? The _attraction_ had been real, and he was right. This was real – this _exact moment_ was real.

And her _desire_ was real.

"Donnie," she whispered, her hands sliding up to rest on either side of his neck. She licked dry lips again, and took a deep breath. What she was about to do was crazy, but at the same time it just seemed _right_. "Kiss me."

She felt his skin warm under her hands and saw his cheeks darken, but he lowered his face to hers nonetheless. Just before their lips touched, he stopped.

"Look, I...I've never done this before so I don't know if I'm doing it right."

"It's okay," she told him, and she closed the distance between them and planted a small kiss on his lips. "Neither have I." He stiffened against her, but soon relaxed as he initiated the kiss this time.

Those first few kisses exchanged were merely experimental. They figured out how to move with each other, how to give and take, together. Then the kisses turned hungry and frantic, more passionate. It was a fight for dominance and territory, one that Claire eventually won. With a small gasp, she forced him back against her bed, throwing out a hand to close and lock her bedroom door at the same time that she straddled Don's lap. As they kissed, his hands slid up her back again. She could tell that he was hesitant to go further, waiting for her permission to continue. But she could also tell he _wanted_ to go further by the way he was holding onto her so tightly, his hands almost digging into her back. Which made her arch her body into his even more.

She gasped as he suddenly broke contact with her lips and instead kissed her neck. She couldn't stop the pleasure-filled sigh that escaped her lips, or how her breath caught when instead of kissing the skin at her shoulder he _bit_ it. He kissed and softly bit his way back to her neck, then slowly moved down the front of her chest that wasn't covered by her tank top. Claire leaned back in his arms and let her head fall to the side, just enjoying the feel of his lips on her skin. One of his hands moved to support the base of her neck, tangling in her curls. She moaned softly as Donatello moved back to her neck and pulled her close again.

She knew he was a great warrior, but he was being _so gentle_ with her. Claire understood that he could have been much rougher, and she had to admit that it would have been just a bit more exciting – she surprised herself by realizing she actually _liked_ that little hint of danger. But the gentle way with which he touched her and kissed her was equally tantalizing. Where if their embrace stayed frantic and heated, the fire would consume them both too fast and it would be over with too soon.

What Donatello was doing now seemed to smolder just beneath the surface of their skin, ready to turn into true heat but being held back by sheer force of will. For the moment, they were both satisfied with simply touching and kissing each other softly.

Claire suddenly got an idea, and moved from his mouth to his cheek with a small, mischievous smile. She trailed soft kisses across his cheek to his jaw, then down his neck and shoulders. Knowing he probably wouldn't expect what she was about to do, she smiled wider even as she bit softly at his skin.

He suddenly gasped, and his arms held her like a vice to him. Thinking she'd hurt him, Claire pulled back.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "If I hurt you, I didn't...mean..." She trailed off at the heated look in his eyes. He didn't say anything...just guided her mouth back to his as he slowly pushed her back onto the floor. She let him, finding she rather enjoyed the sensation of him holding himself just above her.

He went for her neck a second time, then moved the strap of her tank top down around her arm to kiss her shoulder better. She sighed his name...which only made him bite and kiss her harder. The one hand that wasn't holding him up suddenly went to the hem of her tank top. He slowly slid his hand under the fabric, tracing slow fire all the way up her stomach...her ribs...her sides...her –

"_We're goin' at it tonight, tonight! There's a party on the rooftop top of the world. Tonight, tonight, and we're dancin' on the edge of the Hollywood sign._"

Donatello suddenly pulled back and cursed, searching for something in his belt. He stayed positioned over her though, but Claire could tell the phone call was extremely annoying to him. She giggled – it was kind of cute how flustered he'd gotten.

"_I don't know if I'll make it, but watch how good I_ – "

"_What_, Mikey?" Donnie finally was able to reach the phone and answer it, a scowl on his face. He'd turned away slightly from Claire to be able to speak into the phone, but he was still supported by his elbows on either side of her, and her arms had gone back around his shoulders. She could barely hear Michelangelo on the other line, talking about another girl named Hannah and wondering where Don had gotten to.

"I'm busy, okay? I'm...checking up on a few things for April. I'll be home soon."

Claire doubted Mikey would have heard the hesitation in Don's voice, but she could tell it was definitely there. Mostly she knew _why _he hesitated – she'd leaned up and had started kissing his neck again.

"Y-yeah, Mike, tell Leo...tell Leo I'll be home soon." He pulled the phone away from his ear so he could kiss Claire again. Then he answered Mikey's other question. "But don't wait on me for dinner." He didn't say goodbye as he hung up and flung the phone across the room. He sighed exasperatedly and turned his full attention back to her.

"I'm sorry about that," he said.

"It's fine," Claire answered laughing. "We probably needed to stop anyway before it...progressed too far."

"Oh...right..." He moved away from her and sat up, and Claire thought he looked a little disappointed. He helped her sit up, then pulled on his hoodie.

"Not that I didn't _want_ it to," she told him, smiling. "God knows you took care of that."

"Really?"

She laughed and pushed him playfully back against her bed again and kissed him softly. "Mhm."

His hands went back to her shoulders. "Well, y'know, we don't have to stop."

"Yeah, we kind of do." She pulled back and stood up, stretching. "I need to finish this homework, and _you_ need to get home."

"They won't miss me," he told her. But he still retrieved his phone from where he threw it and replaced it back in his belt, also standing. He moved to the window, and Claire followed him. Before he left, he suddenly turned and pulled her into a tight hug. She let him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her for just a few more moments before she had to say goodbye.

"So...am I ever going to see you again?" he asked. "Or was this just a way for us to get back to our normal lives?"

Claire thought a long moment about how to answer him. She finally pulled back and looked up at him. "Donatello," she began. "This was _never_ a way to get rid of the spell."

"Extreme mutual attraction," he interrupted with a grin.

She smiled back. "That too. And I don't think either of our lives is ever going to be 'normal' again. At least, I know _mine_ won't. If you keep kissing me like you did tonight, you'll never get rid of me."

He smiled wider and kissed her lightly. "Just tell me one thing."

"Okay, shoot."

He fixed her with a probing look. "How was it for you these past weeks?"

She sighed. "Well, I...it was like I couldn't get anything done. I started off the year being one of the top in my class, and now I've fallen so far behind I don't think I'll be able to catch up. I couldn't focus on my work. I...I kept seeing you, hearing you, _dreaming_ about you. I saw you so much in my mind that you eventually took over every aspect of my life.

"When I saw you outside my window tonight...it was the most joyous feeling I've ever known. And, just being like this, in your arms...Donnie, I can do anything."

He suddenly kissed her harder than before. "It was the exact same for me. I heard your voice in my dreams...I couldn't work on anything either. I searched for you for weeks until I finally had a breakthrough tonight. And it was purely luck. You live next to some more of our friends."

"Oh, really?"

Donatello nodded. "Had I not had the bright idea to visit them, I wouldn't have found your sister's shop. And therefore...you."

He kissed her again, this time slowly. It built up until it was full of passion and heat, and it had Claire clinging to him as if her life depended on it. As he pulled back, she couldn't stop the word that escaped her lips.

"Stay."

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***shrugs* It was a love spell. What did you think was going to happen? ;) Review you guys, and tell me what you think!**


	10. Small Talks and Video Games

***pokes head shyly into frame* Um...h-hi everybody. I'm so incredibly sorry it took so long to update; I just started Spring semester and I've already got papers to write...but that's what I get for being both a History major and a senior this year. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update because of everything. I get home at night and I literally don't want to think at all...So! Here's chapter ten! Also, those of you who pray, keep me in your prayers...I'mma need em this semester. O.o**

* * *

Donatello stared down at the girl in his arms, feeling a slow flush creep across the back of his neck. Had she really just asked him to stay? In fact, he was sure that he'd heard her wrong.

"Wh-what?"

She smiled that beautiful smile and stepped closer. "Stay with me tonight." She wrapped her arms around him, fingers lightly brushing the sensitive side-plates of his shell. He shuddered and couldn't stop himself from holding her close.

"I don't want to sleep alone," she whispered.

_Oh man_, he thought. _Is...is she _serious_? _But, judging by the way she was looking at him, he could easily surmise that she was. And suddenly, he found that he was trembling.

"But both of us know that there won't be much sleeping going on." He sighed and closed his eyes as she began lightly kissing his jaw.

"That's the point."

That was it. He pulled her roughly to him and covered her mouth with his, causing a soft moan of pleasure to escape her. Don backed her up against the wall, trailing his hands down to her hips. She whispered his name between kisses, and he couldn't stop his hands from sliding around to her backside and lifting her up. She wrapped both her arms and her legs around him and kissed him back fiercely. He growled and suddenly pulled her away from the wall and carried her to the bed, holding her as they both fell across the purple bedspread. He allowed himself a small moment to enjoy the feel of her beneath him before he let his more..._primal_ side take over. He moved to her neck as her hands slid around to his chest. He murmured her name and felt her shift under him, her body moving sensuously against him. He kissed her deeply and reached for the hem of her shirt...

_BANG_!

Claire's door flew open and hit the opposite wall, effectively startling the couple. In a flash, Donatello had pulled her off the bed and hidden her behind him, ready to face any threat that came their way. What met his eyes both scared him silly and confused him to no end.

Two women dressed in long black dresses stood in the doorway. One had long white-blond hair, while the other had curly iron grey. The light-haired one had a sweet smile on her face, the other...it wasn't exactly a frown, but it wasn't a smile, either. Don couldn't help but notice how the 'darker' woman had eyes the exact shade as Claire's.

"Donatello, I presume?" the 'lighter' woman said. She stepped into the room and held out a hand to the genius turtle. "I'm Beatrice Thorn, Claire's aunt. This is my sister, Alice."

Donnie felt Claire moving behind him, and she slowly crept around to stand with her aunts. She smiled at him before placing a soothing hand on his arm.

"It's okay, Donnie, they're not going to hurt you," she told him.

He didn't take his eyes off the two witches in her room, taking deep breaths to try to calm his racing heart. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, honey, it isn't like we caught you trying to kill her or anything. You were just making out, it's not that big a deal," Alice said, moving further into the room as well. "Honestly, I'm glad you've progressed so far. It's a bit of a relief."

"Alice!" Claire hissed, her face turning bright red.

"Relax, dear," Beatrice told her, sitting in her desk chair. "We're just glad that you two have finally found each other." She glanced around at the room, her voice lowering. "Maybe things will get back to normal, now."

"I doubt that's possible," Alice responded. "Now that they have each other there's no stopping them."

"Really?" Claire said, sitting back on her bed. "We can control ourselves. We're adults."

"Are you?" Beatrice asked. "How old are you, Donatello?"

"...E-eighteen..."

"Mm...there's no reason to be afraid, Claire was right." Alice leaned against the desk beside her sister and crossed her arms. "Despite your...strange appearance, we have no intention of hurting you or exposing you."

"In fact, it might be better for Claire to go with you. That way you wouldn't be putting yourself at risk when you come see her."

Donnie slowly sank down on the mattress beside Claire, and wasn't surprised when she readily took the hand he stretched towards her. He wasn't sure exactly where the aunts were going with this conversation, and he didn't want to make assumptions or get his hopes up just to have them come crashing down. "What...exactly are you saying?"

"Well, we don't want you to get captured or seen going to and from our place," Beatrice said. "If...if you were to be separated from Claire for any lengthy amount of time..." She trailed off, looking up at the other aunt.

"Imagine these last six weeks...only multiplied by ten."

Don shared a small glance with Claire, easily seeing the trepidation in her gaze. He knew he didn't want to go through that again, and he could guess that she was hesitant to as well.

"But the spell wasn't that strong," she told them. "You said so yourselves. It wasn't even a spell anymore."

"That's just the thing," Beatrice answered, another wide smile splitting across her face. "It _isn't _a spell...it's progressed far past it."

"Face it, darling," Alice went on. "It's love."

…

Claire stared at her aunts, trying to wrap her head around what they were saying. How could they suggest that it was love? She'd only met Don _twice_, only kissed him...well, more than twice. It was too soon. It couldn't possibly be love.

"It...it _can't_ be. There's no way."

"Oh, but there is," Alice said.

"Love wouldn't be that...intense, though! I mean, after only meeting twice?"

"Darling," Beatrice interjected. "What you're not understanding is that love _can_ be that strong and intense. Take what you two were just doing in here, for example."

Claire felt her cheeks redden considerably, and she glanced at Donatello to see that he was a darker green than normal around the face.

"You wouldn't be willing to go that far with someone you _didn't_ love, did you?"

"We...we were just caught up in the moment – "

"Deny it all you like, hon, it doesn't change the fact that you love the boy."

Claire just stared at her aunts, then looked at Donatello. He seemed to be searching for words, and he was fingering the material of the mask that was now hanging around his neck. "They...may have a point, Claire."

"What...not you, too!"

He turned to face her, and she tried not to notice the hint of desperation in his eyes. "Come on! You can't tell me that what's going on between us _isn't_ stronger than the average fling. Claire..." He reached out and took her hands in his. "...I'm not sure what this is, but...I can assure you that what I feel is now _much _stronger than 'extreme mutual attraction'."

She sighed and leaned against his shoulder, already knowing that it was impossible to deny it. Even now, if Donnie wasn't touching her, she felt as if there were a part of her missing. But she had questions, and her aunts were going to answer them whether they wanted to or not.

"What do you plan to do, then?" she asked, reaching out and re-tying Don's mask around his eyes.

"We were thinking of telling your school that you've been sent to a special boarding school for gifted teenagers."

Beside her, Donnie snorted. "Sounds like 'Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants'."

She nudged him and focused on her aunts again. "Okay...what about Ella? Won't they ask why she hasn't been sent as well? She has higher grades than me."

"We'll tell them that the reason yours are slipping is because the teachers aren't challenging you like you should be," Alice answered. "They'll believe it."

"Hopefully your sister will, too."

Claire suddenly felt her heart thump painfully, and she squeezed Don's hand a little too tight. "...What?"

"We...thought it best that Ella didn't know where you really were as well," Beatrice said. "That way, she can't tell anyone, therefore protecting you and Donatello."

"But...but I can't _lie_ to her!"

"Leave the lying to us, dear. Just go say goodbye and pack your things."

"Hang on," Donnie cut in, standing up. "How can you just lie to her twin like that? You two are sisters. How would you have felt if one of _you_ had lied?"

Claire squeezed his hand again, hoping to convey how grateful she was that he'd stood up for her. She didn't want to lie to Ella...but at the same time, she could see the wisdom in her aunts' actions. The less Ella knew, the safer Donatello and his family would be.

"So I'm to be shipped off and forgotten, then?" She asked, also standing up.

"Oh no, dear, not forgotten. _Never_ forgotten," Beatrice told her. "You will just be happier with Donatello and his family...if they would have you, of course." She looked to Donnie, waiting for his answer.

He took a deep breath. "Give me a day to talk to them. I'd need to sort it out with my Father and brothers...but I don't see it being a problem. I can be back for Claire tomorrow night."

"Claire?" Alice suddenly asked, moving towards her. She gripped her by the shoulders. "It won't be goodbye for forever. You know that, my dear."

Claire looked up into her coarser aunt's eyes, the mirror image of her own. She tried to speak, but it was as if she couldn't find the words. Even though they had pushed magic on her so hard and aggravated her to no end, they had still been her guardians for the majority of her life. She loved them, all zaniness and magic love spells included.

"Thank you, Aunt Alice," she finally whispered.

Alice nodded, stepping back and reverting back to her harsher self. "We'll call the school tomorrow with the explanation, and we'll keep Ella out for the day so you two can spend time together before you...go."

Beatrice stood and embraced Claire, and the girl was surprised to feel tears forming behind her eyes. Aunt Batty had always been the one that stood up for her and calmed her down when she'd been frustrated with them.

"You've been trained enough, darling," she said. "But keep practicing anyway, okay? And come back to see us for the Solstice."

"You got it," Claire answered, sniffing.

…

Raph and Hannah joined the rest of the family for dinner an hour later, both in high spirits. As soon as the demigod glimpsed the other red-headed girl, she squealed and ran to hug her.

"Oh my gods, Sloan, look at you!" She held her friend at arm's length, admiring at how much her belly had grown in their months apart.

Sloan laughed. "I know! The baby's really grown since I saw you last."

Hannah linked her arm through her friend's and led her to the table, leaving Raph and Leo to walk behind them. "Figured out any names yet?"

"A few." Sloan smiled, and left it at that.

Hannah laughed. "Figured out what it is, yet?"

"We're gonna be surprised," she answered, gesturing behind her at the blue-masked turtle.

Hannah helped her into a chair just as Mikey carried a large pan of lasagna into the dining room.

"Hot hot hot hot!" he said, setting it down right in the middle. He took the oven mitts off his hands and threw them down, noticing Hannah for the first time. "Hey!"

"Hi, Mikey."

Master Splinter followed the youngest turtle into the dining room, carrying enough plates for every seat and being tailed by Emily. Her hair was longer, and it looked like Sloan had pulled it back into a ponytail for her. She hopped quietly into her seat, waving at her 'Aunt Hannah.'

"Ah, hello Miss Jackson," he said as Leo took the plates from him and began passing them out. "Sloan informed me earlier that you would be paying us a visit."

"Yes, Master. I hope you don't mind, but...I think I'm planning on staying for a while."

"Oh?" The rat-master sat down slowly in his spot at the head of the table. "And how long is 'a while'?"

She smiled shyly, taking Raph's hand as he sat down beside her. "Uh...well, I guess as long as you'll have me."

Master Splinter's whiskers twitched as he slowly smiled. "My dear, we would not have it any other way."

"Anyone know where Donnie is?" Leo asked, sitting down on Sloan's other side.

"Didja check the Lab?" Raph asked, sitting back. "Brainiac could be stuck on another project."

"Oh, he's doin' somethin' for April at her place," Mikey told him, plopping down and reaching for the silverware to pass out as well.

"Hmm..." Splinter murmured. "I do not recall him mentioning anything of the sort to me."

Mikey shrugged. "I dunno, Sensei, that's just what he told me. He said not to wait on him for dinner."

"All right..." the rat-master said, putting a small bit of lasagna on Emily's plate. "Well, we shall honor his wishes." He nodded, and that seemed to be the signal for everybody to fill up their plates. They did, loading up with lasagna and salad and garlic toast. Hannah and Sloan caught up, talking about the last five months they hadn't had any contact. The demigod tried to focus on the conversation, but it was getting increasingly hard to do so with Raphael's hand rubbing her knee. She caught his eye halfway through dinner, and he raised a cocky eye-ridge in her direction. She grinned back, somehow knowing that she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

…

Sloan stared down at her half-empty plate, only slightly listening to the conversations around her. She'd started out feeling great, but as dinner had gone on (and the boys went for seconds and thirds), she had progressively felt worse. She couldn't stomach any more food, and had resulted in just pushing it around her plate.

Her other hand rested on her stomach, which had grown really hard. It was a Braxton Hicks contraction, she knew, and it wasn't relatively painful. But, it made eating uncomfortable and made her want to get up and move around to alleviate it.

As Raph and Mikey got into a discussion about a new (actually used) video game they'd gotten from April. She'd given them "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" for an early Christmas present, and Mikey was arguing that Raph's use of Ganandorf was cheating. Raph, on the other hand, was insisting that it wasn't, and that Michelangelo using Captain Falco against him every time he picked Ganandorf gave him an equal chance of winning.

"We need Donnie here to settle this!" Mikey suddenly exclaimed. "He could look into the technical aspects of each and figure out which is the better one."

"Well, in case ya missed it, numbskull, he ain't here now." Raph sat back in his chair and smirked, glancing over at Hannah. "Maybe we should have a lil' rematch later, so Hannah can see just who's better."

Hannah raised a blond eyebrow at him. "If you're insinuating that I'm just going to _watch_, you can think again." She reached for her empty glass and picked up an ice cube, popping it into her mouth. "I wanna play."

Mikey choked on his soda. "Whoa whoa whoa," he spluttered. "You didn't grow up with this stuff. There's a good chance that...well, you'll pick something judging by how cute it looks and not based on how much butt they kick."

The entire table looked at him like he was crazy.

"Ooookay..." he laughed nervously. "Never mind."

Emily polished off her plate and raised her fork in the air. "I wanna play, too!"

Raph laughed. "Not this time, small fry. Wait till next time." He stood, pulling Hannah with him, and thumped his youngest brother on the shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get the game set up."

* * *

**Yeah, my roommate told me all about the game :) I forgot to say that another reason I haven't been writing more is because I caught the artist bug and got a deviantart account. I drew some pictures for the stories...if you wanna see them. They're not that good...but at least you can tell the turtles from humans :) There are links on my profile page. Okay, peace off. Thanks for reviewing/reading! :D**


	11. Victory for Kirby!

**HI! So I found some time to update! :D woo! School's starting to get crazy, but thanks to tons of snow lately school's kind of hit and miss right now. In any case, this chapter's nice and long, so enjoy! Thanks to all those who have been reveiwing/favoriting! You guys keep me going :) Okay, on with the show!**

**...er...story!**

* * *

Some time later Donatello returned to the lair, much more keyed-up thank when he left. He had a lot of work to do before Claire came down to live with them...namely where she would sleep. Don figured she'd just stay in his room, seeing as the guest room was currently being turned into a nursery. He would just sleep in the lab. Hopefully they wouldn't need the medical cot any time soon.

Rubbing a tired hand down his face as he entered the main room from the entrance hallway, hoping to find that someone had brewed a pot of coffee for him. He walked into the kitchen, ignoring Raph and Mikey's shouts at their new video game, and suppressed a groan.

There wasn't any coffee.

So, he made some himself. Once the coffeemaker was up and running, he ventured out into the great room, hoping to get in on some Brawl action. What he found as he approached the couch, however, was not a victorious Mikey lording his win over Raphael, as Don had been expecting.

Instead, he saw Raph staring in disbelief at the TV screen and Mikey sitting with his head in his hands. Between them, Hannah sat with a triumphant smirk while Kirby jumped in victory on the screen. He came to stand behind her spot on the couch.

"Uh...do I even want to know?"

Hannah glanced at him over her shoulder and grinned. "I just – "

"She just kicked the shell outta both'a us," Raph cut in, his voice incredulous.

"By using _Kirby_," Mikey went on, his voice muffled by his hands. "Friggin' Kirby!"

Hannah laughed and set the controller on the coffee table. "And _they_ used Lucario and Captain Falco. And I _still_ won." She moved away towards Raph's room, leaving the boys alone. Donnie turned back to his brothers.

"You realize you two just got beaten by someone who's never played a video game before, right?"

"Don't make this any worse than it already is, Donatello," Mikey chided. "Seriously, _how_ did she do it?"

Raph shrugged and stood, following Hannah. "I dunno...but I'm kinda proud of her." He grinned lazily over his shoulder at the orange-masked turtle. "She got you good." He and Hannah disappeared behind his door, leaving Don and Mike the great room.

"Well, we're not gonna see any sign of them for a while," Mikey snickered, reaching for another game.

Don thought about slapping him, but had too much on his mind to do so. "Hey, where are Leo and Sloan?"

"Hm? Oh, Sloan wasn't feeling good after dinner so she went to lay down. Leo's in the dojo with Splinter."

"Another calming meditation session?"

"Dude, they're happening more and more the closer Sloan gets to her due date." Abandoning his search for a new game to play, Mikey stood next to his brother and they both looked toward the dojo. "Things are getting ready to change, aren't they?"

_More than you know_, Donnie thought. He clapped his brother on the shoulder gently in a brotherly gesture, then made his way to the sliding door of the dojo. He could hear moving from within, and knew that their meditation was either over with or very troubled. Steeling himself, Donnie knocked on the door.

"Enter," Splinter answered.

"Sorry Master," the purple-masked turtle said, sliding open the door. Inside, he found his father kneeling in meditation and Leo was just standing up and rolling his shoulders, clearly done.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Don asked, stepping further into the room. Leo moved past him and left, closing the door behind him.

"Of course, Donatello," Splinter said, finally opening his eyes. The lights from the many candles all around the room reflected in his black eyes. Donatello respectfully knelt in front of him. When he didn't begin speaking right away, Splinter put a reassuring paw on his shoulder.

"What is on your mind, my son?"

"Master...it's Claire." He figured now was as good a time as ever to lay it all on the line. And that was exactly what he did.

…

Master Splinter stared at his second-youngest son with wide onyx eyes, his only movements the slight twitching of his ears. He wasn't sure if he believed Donatello's tale – if he even _wanted _to believe it – but there was no denying that something had changed in his purple-banded son. In those last months, Splinter knew his genius son was hurting. Every time he saw Sloan and Leonardo together, his countenance had darkened. The rat-master didn't think Donatello had even noticed when it happened.

But now that darkness in his eyes was gone. It had been replaced with a strange light – one that Splinter had seen in his two oldest sons. It was that light that made him decide to believe in Donatello's tale.

"When will she arrive?"

"I-I'm going to go back tomorrow night to get her," he said, and Splinter couldn't miss the eagerness in his voice. The patriarch of the family nodded, a small smile making his whiskers twitch.

"She will stay in your room, I understand?"

"And I'll stay in the lab."

That surprised Splinter. He thought that perhaps things had escalated so much that they would share a room, like Raphael and Hannah. When Splinter voiced his surprise, Donatello blushed.

"A-actually, Master Splinter, I think there's plenty enough time for that down the road. Claire and I...we still need to get to know each other better."

Splinter smiled. "Of all my sons, it would seem to make sense that you would be the one with enough common sense to wait."

Donatello laughed. "Well, Leo waited until he and Sloan were married."

"Four months after meeting," Splinter commented dryly, making his genius son chuckle again.

"I think Claire and I will be able to control ourselves. We'll be able to see each other every day so that makes me believe that our...attraction will be reigned in as long as we're in some sort of contact. I think the only reason it got so out of control tonight was because of a six-week separation, and it had been building up between us this entire time. It would make sense that it wouldn't be too bad when we're in close quarters like we are down here."

The rat-master blinked, only slightly understanding Donatello's train of thought. Frankly, after nineteen years with the genius, he'd grown used to only understanding every fifth word when his purple-banded son began on an intellectual tirade.

"But...there is the fact that she's a witch..."

Splinter held up a hand to stop his son. "After everything this family has gone through, a witch living with us seems almost normal."

"As normal as four giant turtles and a rat can be, huh?" Donatello smiled.

…

Sloan lay with her dog-eared copy of _The Hunger Games _balanced on her stomach. The pages had been leafed through so much that it had no problems saying on the current page she was reading. She sighed and turned the page, her other hand gently rubbing a sore spot on her left shoulder.

The door to hers and Leo's room opened, and her husband walked in with a towel around his neck. His signature blue mask was hanging by the doorknob, while his belt, knee/elbow pads, and katana sheaths had their own places on the wall. Sloan smiled as he shut the door behind him and hung the towel on the doorknob as well. His gray-blue eyes took in her rubbing her shoulder, and he moved towards her and began to gently massage her shoulders.

"Hey," he said, noticing the book on her stomach. "You don't have to hold the book anymore."

"I don't know whether to be happy about that fact or sad...because it means I'm huge." Sloan sighed and let her head fall forward as Leo did wonders with the knots in her back. "You have magic hands, my dear."

"I think you said the same thing on our wedding night," he answered lowly, and if Sloan hadn't been eight-and-a-quarter months pregnant she would have tackled him then and there. In any case, she just laughed and marked her place in her book.

"Have a good meditation with Splinter?" she asked as he finished. She sat back and could feel a satisfying tiredness wash over her.

"Yeah," he answered, taking his katana off the wall. He walked over to the dresser, where he kept his sword-polishing oil on top, and opened another drawer to find a rag.

Sloan narrowed her eyes and sat up slightly, waiting for him to continue. He usually did, but this time seemed different. He remained quiet as he slowly began to polish one of his beloved katana, sitting on the bed so that his shell was facing her.

"Leo?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Mhm." A very noncommittal answer. Sloan knew something was up when he didn't want to talk.

"Uh-huh," she answered slowly. "Why do I not believe you?"

He stopped and shrugged, but he still wouldn't look at her. Sloan sighed again, this time in sudden understanding.

"Leonardo, look at me."

He did, albeit reluctantly. His gray eyes were troubled, as stormy as the sea during the winter.

"Are they not helping?" Another shrug. "You can't be worried about the baby, Leo."

"Sloan," he finally said. "In three weeks we're going to be parents. _Three weeks_. You can't tell me that you're not the least bit worried about that."

"I am, of course I am. But...I also know that both I and the baby are going to be in very capable hands. And it's not just going to be you and I raising it. It'll have four uncles, three or four aunts – "

"Who all are you counting?" he suddenly interrupted.

"Well, your brothers and Casey will obviously be uncles. April, Hannah, Claire, and whoever Mikey finds will be the aunts."

Leo sighed and turned on the bed to face her. "Sloan..." he began. "You know Raph and I got lucky. There may not _be_ anybody for Mikey."

"Well, what about Donnie and Claire? You can't say that isn't fate."

"He literally knew her for all of five hours."

"And all the nights he's been going out? Where do you think he's been going?"

Leonardo blinked at her, confused. "Wait...he's been going topside?"

"Every night for the last month. How in the world have you missed _that_?" Sloan asked, incredulous. "I mean, you're a ninja. Aren't you supposed to be more aware of your surroundings?"

He looked away, still with a slightly dumbfounded look on his face. "I...I dunno..."

It was then that Sloan finally figured out how he'd missed it. "Come here, Leo."

He did, moving slowly across the mattress so as not to disturb her too much. She opened her arms, and he let himself be folded into her embrace. After a long moment, she pulled back and caressed his cheek.

"There's nothing that you or I – or anyone in this family, for that matter – could do to mess this up. _You_ are going to be an amazing father. _We_ are going to raise this child to be good and kind and wonderful. We can do it, I promise."

He leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching as Sloan continued. "I sincerely hope you're not regretting your decision."

"Not a chance," he answered quickly.

"Because it was completely selfless," she told him. "And it is _much_ appreciated."

"It wasn't _completely_ selfless." He grinned crookedly at her. "I always thought I'd want children."

Sloan smiled back and kissed him. "And now you're getting one. You know that it's going to be completely spoiled, right?"

"Between Hannah and Mikey, I'll be amazed if it isn't." He laughed, then moved to hang his swords back up on the wall. He put away his polishing materials, then climbed into bed beside Sloan. "Let's go to bed, huh? Worry about all this tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," she said, and Leo reached over and turned out the light.

…

Hannah sighed contentedly in the darkness, rolling over and burying her face in her pillow. She was warm and comfortable in Raphael's embrace, and the clean sheets and blankets had her feeling extra sleepy. Behind her, Raph nuzzled her neck and inhaled deeply. She smiled as his breath tickled her skin.

"So..." he whispered. "What did yer parents say when ya told 'em?"

Hannah's smile fell, but she was glad for the darkness that would hide it from his eyes. Then again, he was a ninja and was trained to see in the darkest of darks. "It was hard for them," she admitted. "But...I think they understood. They didn't stop me, in any case, and they made me promise to visit every so often."

He kissed her shoulder gently and held her closer. "'M glad they let ya come here," he said. "I missed ya a lot."

"You said so earlier," she laughed, turning over onto her back. From the light of the digital clock on his bedside table, she could see his golden eyes glinting in the darkness. After their activities earlier that night, he seemed very satisfied. And _that_ meant that sleep wouldn't be too far behind.

He reached over and cupped her cheek in his callused hand, and Hannah turned her head and kissed his palm.

"Can you guys handle _two_ girls living down here?"

"I have a feeling it's gonna be _three_ soon."

Hannah blinked, then finally remembered the witch-girl that Mikey had told her about earlier. "Oh, um, what's-her-name...Claire? I thought she was only here a day?"

"Yeah...but Donnie's been gone a lot lately. I think he's either been lookin' fer her or he found her and they've been seein' each other in secret."

"You think that's where he was tonight?"

"Oh, you can bet on it."

"I'm glad, then," she said, startling him. "What? He's finally found someone to be with. It needed to happen. He's been down since Sloan and Leo got married, and you know it. Maybe this Claire is what we need to get the old Donnie back." Hannah frowned and looked at the ceiling. "I miss him."

"But we don' know 'er. An' Donnie said she's a witch."

"So? I'm a demigod."

He paused for a moment, and Hannah turned to him. "Good point. But...that _still_ doesn't change the fact that we don' know 'er at all."

"Maybe Don's waiting for the right time to tell everybody. And besides..." she turned back onto her side, facing away from her red-masked turtle. "...we don't know for sure where he's been going. It may not be a big deal."

"Hm..." Raph answered, then sat up on his elbow. "Y'know what?"

"What?" Hannah asked sleepily. The bed was _really_ comfy.

"I'm tired of talkin' about Donnie." And he pulled her back over and kissed her deeply.

Apparently sleep could wait.

…

Donatello was busy trying to clean as quietly as possible. He had to get his room in some sort of order before the next night. His lab space was immaculate...but the same couldn't be said about his room. He was OCD about some things, and where he slept apparently wasn't one of them.

Which left him straightening it up at two AM.

He yawned (when was the last time he was actually _tired_ enough to yawn?) as he put some books back on his shelf, then turned to strip the bed of the sheets.

"Don'...tello?" a small voice came from the doorway. The genius turtle turned to find Emily framed there, holding her rainbow-colored stuffed chimpanzee (not a monkey – no tail) and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Don'tello, I'm thirsty."

He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he walked over to her. "Emily, why aren't you in bed asleep? You have school tomorrow."

She looked up at him with bleary brown eyes. "No I don't, it's Saturday."

He blinked, then looked up at his calendar. "Hm. So it is. Well then, come on munchkin." He picked her up and set her on his hip, mainly because he didn't think she could make it down the stairs on her own. "Let's get you a cup of water."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder as he carefully carried her down the stairs and into the kitchen. He set her down on the counter while he grabbed one of her plastic cups and filled it with water from the refrigerator.

"Can Captain Chimpanzee have a cup of water too?" she asked as he gave it to her.

"Well, he can," Donatello answered as she took a long sip. "But _he_ has to tell me he wants one."

Emily picked up her chimp and held him up to the side of Donnie's head. "Listen."

He made a show of doing just that, even screwing his face up as if he were concentrating really hard. Finally, he pulled away and Emily took another drink.

"Y'know what Captain Chimpanzee told me?" He took Emily's empty cup and set it in the sink. "He said that he wasn't thirsty, but he _really_ wanted to go back to sleep."

"He's tired," Emily said, hugging the animal to her and yawning.

"He's not the only one, _Gaki-chan_." He picked her up again and began to carry her up the stairs, but a light in the living room stopped him.

"Mikey?" Don asked, moving up behind the couch. The orange-masked turtle was sitting there playing the same video game that Hannah had beaten him at earlier. "What are you doing? It's two AM."

"I gotta get better," he answered. "If I can get beat by someone who's never played a video game in her life, I must be doing something _very_ wrong, dude."

"Mikey, she's a demigod who has extensive battle experience and knowledge. A video game would be a cake walk for her."

He paused the game and turned to face his immediate older brother. "I guess you're right." Then he glimpsed the little girl in Donnie's arms. "What's the munchkin doin' up?"

"She wanted a drink of water, and now she needs to go to sleep."

"No!" Emily suddenly spoke up. "I wanna play Mikey's game."

Michelangelo held up his hands as if to take the little girl away from Donnie. "Here, lemme have her. She can play till she's tired."

"I don't think – "

"She doesn't have school, and..." Mikey lowered his voice. "She'll get so tired she won't want to stay up so late again."

Donnie had to admit his younger brother had a point. He handed the little girl over with a stern warning for Mikey _not_ to taint her mind with video game knowledge, then he returned to his room.

He still had a lot to do before Claire came to live with them the next day.

* * *

**Yay! Now review or else I'll have my crazy roommate poke you to no end o.o**

**kizuna31: tee hee hee**


	12. Surprise!

***Peeks shyly into frame and throws chapter at readers before they can attack her and runs away* ENJOY!**

* * *

Claire stood with her canvas shoulder bag outside the door to the Lair. She didn't know why she was so nervous – she'd been there before, after all – but now that she was coming to _live_ with them made her stomach turn with anticipation.

Within her bag, Salem rustled around and popped his head out from under the flap and _meow_ed. He looked up at her, ears slightly folded back in response to her mood.

_I can't smell anything dangerous in there,_he told her, wrinkling his nose. _Except for a lot of boy-smell...and another cat. There's nothing to be afraid of._

"It'll be okay," Donnie told her, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I already told them what was going on. There's nothing to be worried about."

"But...they barely know me," she said, looking up into his hazel eyes. "I was only around your family for a few hours. What if they don't like me?"

Don planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Then they'll have to contend with me."

She smiled as he reached up and pulled on the lever that would open the door, and the brick sections of the wall slid away to reveal the lair beyond. Don pulled her in with him and the door shut behind them.

As soon as they heard it, the rest of the family that was gathered in the living room looked around. It was Michelangelo that was the first to get up and welcome her.

"Hey, Claire!" he exclaimed. "Welcome back, dudette."

"Thanks Mikey," she answered. She looked past him where Raphael was lounging on the couch with a blond-haired girl, who also looked around at Claire. The witch went still as her eyes locked onto the other girl's green ones.

There was so much power coursing through this girl that Claire was amazed that no one else had felt it. She was sure that the girl could measure _her_ power as well, judging by the way her hand was clutching the back of the couch until her knuckles were white. Claire could feel power flowing to her hands, ready to face any challenge this girl would throw out.

Raphael said something to the blond, and she finally broke contact and focused on him instead. Claire let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding, and looked up at Donnie.

Both he and Michelangelo were staring at her in confusion.

"Um...s-sorry," she apologized. "What were you saying?"

"Is everything gonna be all right with you two?" Mike asked. "I mean, Hannah's cool. She's not gonna do anything."

"Y-yeah, everything's fine," Claire assured him. She gave Donnie a look, trying to convey to him that she'd talk to him about it later. She lifted the shoulder with her bag and grinned sheepishly. "Um...where can I put my stuff?"

"Your aunts sent most of your stuff to my room," Don told her, putting a hand on her back and leading her towards the set of iron stairs.

"What, I'm not sleeping in the lab again?"

Don snorted. "I'm not going to make you sleep in there again." He opened the door to his room for her, and Claire wasn't the least bit surprised to see her suitcase and another duffel bag already in his room. Upon her aunts request, he'd taken a picture of his room for them so they could cast a spell and send her things easily to the lair.

"So, where do my things go?" she asked, beginning to unpack. Salem jumped out of her bag and onto the bed, curling up on the pillow.

"Anywhere they want," Don answered. "All my things are already down in the lab."

Clare stopped and turned to face him. "Wait, you're not going to be in here, too?"

He looked down at the floor, then slowly back up to her. "Listen..." he began. "I know that what happened between us last night was the result of a lot of pent up emotions and suppressed attraction. Because of that spell, and the fact that it built up over those six weeks only made it worse when we _did_ see each other again." He moved closer and gripped her shoulders.

Claire began to tremble. She'd never been in a relationship before, but she'd seen enough movies and read enough books to think that his speech was what preceded a break-up or a gentle let-down. She began to replay the events of the night before, trying to see if she'd done anything wrong, or if she'd said anything to change his mind. If this was all because of her crazy aunts, she was going to murder them when she got home.

"W-what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think with you being down here in close quarters with me will do a little to quell those...feelings," Don went on, his cheeks coloring slightly. "I think it'll be easier to be around each other and not fall into heated make-out sessions every day...no matter how much fun that sounds."

She couldn't help it – she laughed. "Maybe one or two?" she ventured.

He grinned. "I just don't want to rush things any more than they already have been," he said. "I want to get to _know_ you, Claire Blackwood, before we take that next step. Is...is that okay with you?"

_Of course_, she thought. He wasn't breaking it off – he was respecting her enough to actually wait to get to know her better. He was letting her set the pace of the relationship, and it filled her with relief. As much as she'd wanted him to stay the previous night, the thought of being that bold again with someone she barely knew terrified her. She wanted to get to know _him_ as well before even attempting to be intimate.

She smiled, and it was clear by his reaction that the relief was written on her face. "Of course it is, Donatello."

He smiled back and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'm going to go discuss some things with Master Splinter. Why don't you take a break and go get acquainted with Hannah and Sloan. I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

He left her then, and she finished what she was doing on her own. With a quick plea to Salem to stay in the room, she left and headed back downstairs. She passed the living room on the way, and noticed both the blue and red masked turtles watching the television intently. She got the feeling that they weren't really watching at all – she could feel the tension rolling off them in waves. She would rather be in the company of the jovial orange-masked turtle and the two humans than in the living room at that moment.

…

Claire tentatively entered the kitchen, where the other two girls and Michelangelo were busy with preparations for that night's dinner. She froze as she remembered the amount of power radiating off the blond, expecting a challenge to be thrown her way. But, the other girl just glanced over her shoulder as Claire walked in and smiled gently. Claire thought that maybe she wasn't so bad after all. The red-head – Sloan, she remembered – was sitting comfortably at the table with a bowl of potatoes before her and a knife in her hand. She was methodically peeling them, throwing the skins away in the trash bin beside her, while the other two bustled about getting dishes ready. Sloan looked up as she came in and greeted her with a wide smile.

"Hey Claire," she said. "Come to see where the magic happens?"

"Ha!" Mikey suddenly laughed and looked over his shoulder at Claire. "It's funny 'cause you can _do_ magic!"

Sloan rolled her eyes as the curly-haired witch sat across from her. "That wasn't what I was going for, but whatever." She shrugged.

"I guess I was just looking for something to do while Donnie was talking to Splinter," Claire answered. "It seems more comfortable in here with you guys than out in the living room."

The tall blonde – Hannah, Donnie had told Claire – grimaced and turned from the bowl of greens she'd been mixing. "Yeah, I can guess Leo and Raph aren't the best company."

"_Tch._ Especially now," Sloan added, raising her eyebrows at the potato she was peeling. "Leo's getting worse and worse each day. He's too stressed thinking about the baby."

"Yeah, 'cause this time next month you guys'll be _parents_," Mikey said, then suddenly stopped, his voice turning incredulous. "_Damn. _The little guy's gonna be here soon...we've gotta get that nursery in some kind of order."

"It's no rush," Sloan replied, grinning at him. "The baby'll sleep in our room for the first few months."

As she turned back to her task, the light overhead flashed off the steel-colored ring on her left hand. It reminded Claire that she still hadn't heard Sloan's story. So, steeling herself for the answer, she decided to just ask about it...she just wasn't sure how to go about it.

"This is beautiful," she said gently, touching the ring. Upon further inspection, she found that it actually had a small design woven into it. Lines curled and twisted together across it, creating a sort of braid-like band.

Sloan glanced down at it and smiled wider. "Thank you. I know I'm not _legally_ married to Leo, but it doesn't matter. I'm his, and he's mine. That's all there is to it."

"Where did he get it?" Claire asked as Hannah sat down with them. "I mean, it's not like he could go to a jewelry store and pick one out."

"Oooohh I _love _this story!" Mikey exclaimed, rushing over and also sitting with them. He rested his chin in his hands and stared at Sloan eagerly. "Go on, tell her."

She laughed at his enthusiasm, then turned to Claire. "No, he didn't buy it. I wouldn't have wanted him to spend any money on it, anyway." She gazed fondly at it, a serene smile on her lips. "He made it."

Claire couldn't contain the gasp that escaped her. "Seriously?"

Sloan nodded. "When we were down in North Carolina, he and Raph melted down one of his old katana blades and forged this ring. When he gave it to me at our wedding, he told me how he'd made it. The katana blade he used he'd _also_ made at Casey and April's farm a long time ago. He said that when you make something as special as a sword, a piece of yourself goes into it and makes it more than just a weapon – it is an extension of yourself." She sighed happily. "He put it on my finger and told me, 'Now, I will _always_ be with you, for this ring holds a piece of me.' I didn't know he could be so romantic."

Claire just stared at Sloan, amazed at her story. She looked at Hannah and Mikey and almost laughed at the identical blissful looks on their faces.

"I wish Raphael would be romantic like that," Hannah sighed, her voice turning wistful.

"Is he not?" Claire knew she was getting off track of her original plan, but at the moment she didn't care. She was bonding with the other girls, and she was slightly surprised that they'd accepted her so readily. And, she was curious. She kind of wanted to compare how Donnie acted with her to how the other brothers acted with their girls.

"Oh, he is...in his own way," Hannah replied. "But he's never given me anything like that before. But...he makes up for it with passion. And he really is a sweet guy."

Mikey pushed back from the table and snorted. "If you guys are gonna start talking all 'lovey-dovey' stuff, I'm gonna go make sure Raph and Leo haven't started strangling each other. Dinner's almost ready, anyway." He turned to leave, but Claire could still see the smile on his face.

"He needs someone," Sloan stated, watching him leave.

"Yeah, then he'll know that there's more to it than just the 'lovey-dovey' stuff," Hannah laughed, then nudged Claire. "What about you, huh? How is it with you and the Brainiac?"

Claire smiled and ducked her head shyly. "I honestly couldn't tell you. We've only been together one _day_."

"That really doesn't mean a lot when it comes to this bunch," Sloan told her. "Leo and I were 'together' a week before he proposed."

"And Raph and I slept together before he ever kissed me."

Claire felt her eyes go wide as she stared at the demigod incredulously.

"No, literally. He slept in my bed with me the night before he kissed me," she explained. Her voice grew uncharacteristically soft as she continued. "I'd had a...rough day, and he stayed with me to make sure I was all right. He...he was my rock through that whole ordeal. He kept me sane."

"What ordeal, if you don't mind me asking?"

Hannah shook her head. "I got in a huge fight with a group of monsters, lost the closest thing I'd had to a brother in the fight, and killed the one responsible all in the span of one week." She shrugged. "But at least he was there."

"So..." Claire went on, trying to lighten the mood. "Any marriage plans in _your_ future?"

"Uh, no," Hannah snorted. "At this point, there's no reason to. We pretty much are, I guess, even though there was no ceremony like for Sloan and Leo. Any time I come around, I sleep in his room with him and...well, there's no reason to make it 'official'."

"Ah," the curly-haired girl said, catching on. "What about kids? Do you know if it's possible to have kids with him?"

Hannah's face suddenly fell, and her gaze dropped to the table as she shrugged. "We don't know...but in any case, I can't get pregnant."

Claire felt her heart drop into her stomach, and she suddenly felt horrible for bringing the subject up in the first place. "Oh...I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Donnie didn't...didn't tell me much about you guys. I'm afraid my questions may do more harm than I mean them to."

"No, it's all right," the demigod assured her. "I've come to terms with it. I'm just going to have to live out my mothering dreams through Sloan, here."

"You just said so yourself," the red-head cut in, pointing her peeling knife at Hannah then towards her stomach. "We don't know if it's possible to conceive with the boys. The only reason this one is here is because of a bad situation."

Claire looked at her questioningly. "What exactly happened? I ruled out Leo being the father a while ago, but..." She trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

Sloan met her gaze, blue eyes blazing into her gray. "Donnie didn't really tell you _anything_, did he?"

"We were...a little preoccupied to deal with explanations," Claire admitted, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear nervously.

"Mm," Sloan said. "Well...no, Leo isn't the biological father. To be honest, I don't know _who_ it is, besides a Purple Dragon."

Claire openly stared. True, Donatello had told her that Sloan's past hadn't been a happy one, but she didn't think it was _that_ bad. Beside her, the red-head sighed deeply before continuing.

"When I met the guys, I had been imprisoned by the Purple Dragons for two weeks. In that time they had...done certain things to me in hopes of breaking me. They were very hurtful. This child..." She gently caressed her swollen stomach. "...is the product of violence and violation. But I couldn't bring myself to abandon or get rid of it."

"Wow..." Claire said softly. "I'm so sorry, Sloan. I had no idea."

"It's all right," she replied. "It's in the past, and it can't hurt me anymore." She smiled reassuringly, but it suddenly fell and she grimaced. She put her knife down and began gently rubbing her stomach. Hannah noticed it as well, for she was suddenly at Sloan's side.

"What? What is it?"

"Just another Braxton-Hicks," Sloan told her breathlessly. "It'll..._uhn..._pass."

Claire's brow furrowed, and she focused her attention on the pendant around Sloan's neck. It was literally _humming_ with magic, although she doubted the red-head could feel it. She had an idea that if Hannah were to see it she would notice as well, but the demigod wasn't paying enough attention to it. Claire was certain that it hadn't been humming earlier in their conversation.

"Are you sure?"

Sloan nodded, then froze in the middle of her action and switched, shaking her head instead. She reached out and grasped Hannah's shoulder and breathed "My water just broke."

Hannah suddenly stood and raced from the room, calling for both Donnie and Leo and announcing joyfully to everyone that it was "finally baby-having time!"

"I guess the little sea monkey just couldn't wait three more weeks," Sloan murmured.

"It's probably a little bigger than a sea monkey by now." Claire went to Sloan and helped her stand, settling a protective arm around her. "I guess I'm taking you to the lab?"

Sloan nodded as they made their way slowly out of the kitchen. "You sure picked a great time to show up, Claire," she said half-jokingly. "Thank you for helping me. That demigod just ran off and left me."

"I'll consider it my initiation into the family," the witch laughed, opening the door for Sloan. Immediately Leonardo was there, ready to take his wife in his arms and lead her into the lab instead. He glanced at Claire with wild gray eyes and nodded his thanks – it seemed as if he were unable to speak in that moment. Donnie was across the room propping the lab door open and telling Mikey to call April. He was going to need extra hands. His eyes found Claire, and he grinned and shrugged as if to say "it can't be helped." She smiled back and nodded as Leo and Sloan went through the lab door and the purple-masked turtle closed it behind them.

* * *

**Seriously guys, I'm so sorry that it's been a while. Senior classes SUCK, but they have priority. Luckily I'm on Spring Break right now so I have a little time (at midnight, no doubt****) to post these chapters I've been working on. I wanted to get them out before I started on my Senior Thesis, so that will take priority now. In any case, reviews are always welcome, you guys!**


	13. Welcome To The Planet

**Maybe this will make up for not updating in so long? Two updates in one night? Huh? *Looks around hopefully* Maybe this will keep the rabid reader-wolves at bay for a while.**

**And speaking of Bay, I read that he is now a producer rather than director for the new TMNT movie, and that Megan Fox has been cast as April O'Neil. Uhm, excuse me Mr. Bay, besides the fact that April is a RED HEAD, I think you and Miss Fox need to see other people. Especially after what you did to the Transformers franchise. **

**Okay, rant over. Enjoy!**

* * *

April arrived twenty minutes later, and after saying a quick "Nice to meet you" upon being hurriedly introduced to Claire she headed straight for the lab. Leonardo was immensely glad to see her, as he was still apprehensive about the birth. The older red-head pulled a screen around the cot and helped Sloan into a gown and got her comfortable, then pushed the screen aside and allowed Donnie to start checking her over. While he did that, April rushed over to Leo and engulfed him in a hug.

"Are you okay?" she asked, pulling back. "Not too nervous or anything?"

The blue-masked turtle finally breathed for what felt like the first time in the last half-hour. "No," he said, his voice wavering. "But I might pass out." He offered their oldest friend a shaky smile to show he was joking, even though he really _did_ feel as if he could keel over any minute.

April didn't buy it. She gripped his shoulders and held his gaze. "Leonardo, Donnie has checked and double-checked Sloan in the past few months. The baby is healthy, Sloan is healthy, and we've all been studying up on this thing, okay? It's all going to go off without a hitch." She paused, raising a red eyebrow at him. "But, if I feel like you're upsetting Sloan at all, I _will not hesitate_ to throw you out of here, do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am," was all he could reply before a contraction overtook Sloan and she cried out in pain. He rushed to her side and took her hand, unable to do anything but provide her with that small comfort. Hannah entered the lab with a cup of ice and an icepack wrapped in a towel and placed it around Sloan's already sweaty neck.

"Thank you," she said, and Hannah took her other hand.

"You want me in here, too?" the demigod asked, and Leo had to stop himself from saying that he wanted her there as well.

"I'm going to need you here, Hannah," Donnie cut in before anyone else could answer. "I'll need two hands to handle the baby once it's here. Leo, I'll need you to make sure Sloan _keeps breathing_, okay? I'm going to have to keep her stable on this end. April?"

The older woman looked over from where she was pulling a sterile robe on over her clothes and raised her eyebrows at the genius, prompting him to continue.

"Could you and Hannah go ahead and set up a cleaning station? Lukewarm water and something to clear the baby's air way if need be." As an afterthought, he added. "And get Mikey to bring us plenty of clean towels and blankets."

April set about her task, disinfecting the sink and a spot on the counter for cleaning and filling the sink with water, while Hannah went to the lab door and called for the blankets and towels they had tucked away for this occasion.

Donatello clapped a hand on Leo's shoulder. "You ready, bro?"

"I'm gonna have to be," Leo answered softly, then turned his attention back to Sloan as another contraction hit her. She squeezed his hand so hard that he could feel the bones cracking, and it surprised him. He honestly hadn't thought that she had that much strength in her.

"Her contractions are about ten minutes apart," Don went on, checking his watch. "And they aren't lasting very long, only about 40 seconds."

"What does that mean?" Leo asked. "What do we do?"

"All we can do now is wait," the purple-masked turtle answered, shrugging.

"For _how long_?" Leo pressed. He wanted to know exactly how long Sloan had to be in pain. He'd heard about some women being in labor for over 24 hours. He didn't want his wife to be in pain that long. He didn't want her to be in pain _at all_, but it couldn't be helped.

"What's it to you?" his wife cut into his train of thought. "_You're_ not the one giving birth, here. It feels a lot longer to me." Her tone had been biting, but she was smiling up at Leo, teasing.

He grinned back and leaned over, kissing her lightly. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just don't want you to be in pain for a long time. I want to meet our child as soon as possible."

"I know," she replied. "And I can't exactly get mad and blame all this on you, seeing as you're not the one who knocked me up."

Leo chuckled. "Well if you have to yell at someone when it gets really bad, yell at me, okay?"

"It won't get that bad but..." She trailed off when another contraction hit, screwing her face up and laying back against the pillows, breathing deeply.

"Is there anything we can give her?" Hannah asked, bringing over towels for later on and setting them on the cot beside Donnie.

"Not at this point," he replied. "I have a feeling that we just rushed her in here to get ready, and we've got a while yet."

"Well," Sloan said, her voice strained. "At least we're ready."

_Are we?_ Leo wondered. He glanced around the room at the people there – Donnie, the doctor, the one he was trusting with the life of his wife and child. Hannah, who was there to offer as much support as she could alongside Leo. April, the extra set of hands who would probably end up doing so much more for both Leo _and_ Sloan. It was in that moment that Leo finally realized that the raising of this child wouldn't solely be on his shoulders. There was an entire group of people there, ready to love it as much as he did and to help in any way they could. He and Sloan weren't completely alone in this, and he could feel the first stirrings of relief flutter away from his stomach. Of course, his nervousness wouldn't completely go away until Sloan gave birth, but it was a welcome start.

He nodded at the group and turned back to his wife, ready to offer comfort and support when the time came.

…

Raphael shifted on the couch, throwing yet another anxious glance in the direction of the lab. "This is insane," he muttered.

Michelangelo barely looked up from the comic book he was reading. "Well, it's gonna take a while, dude. You gotta be patient."

Raph growled and crossed his arms, laying his head on the back of the couch and closing his golden eyes. "God knows Leo's prob'ly goin' through Hell in there."

"He's in good hands," the orange-masked turtle replied, closing his comic and laying it on the arm of the couch beside him. "Between Hannah and April, I think they can take care of 'im."

Nestled in the recliner beside Mikey, Claire sighed and reached for the comic Mikey had discarded. "It's been two hours, though. Something big has to happen soon." She rifled through the comic, then put her attention on the little girl playing on the floor in front of her. "Poor Leo."

"You guys, he's _fine_!" Michelangelo insisted. "He's just nervous about bein' a daddy." He turned to Raph. "_You'd _feel the same way if you were in his position."

Claire bit her lip, wondering if Mikey had just realized what he'd said. Apparently not, for Raph slowly opened his eyes and stared straight up at the ceiling, visibly sagging just a little bit.

"Oh, uh...sorry, dude. You know I didn't mean it like that."

Raph stayed silent and just reached over and squeezed Mikey's shoulder, showing him that it was all right. Mikey turned back to Claire and shrugged. She returned it with an apologetic smile and laid her head back. Suddenly her stomach rumbled loudly, startling all of them. She felt her cheeks color and she covered her stomach, grimacing.

"Well, we never did finish dinner," Mikey chuckled, standing up. He motioned for her to follow him. "C'mon, I'm hungry, too. I'll make us something."

"Ohh! I wanna come, too!" Emily spoke up from the floor, clamoring to her feet and rushing over to the grumpy turtle. "C'mon, Raph! Let's go get food!"

"A'right, munchkin," he replied quietly, allowing her to pull him off the couch and sweeping her up into his arms.

Claire couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Raphael really was great with Emily. The curly-haired witch guessed that if he couldn't have a child of his own with Hannah, he was going to make up for it with Emily.

As she made her way back into the kitchen, she saw that Mikey was already heating up what was still salvageable from his earlier efforts. Green beans, baked chicken, and broccoli casserole were piled onto four plates, and the orange-masked turtle was just switching one small plate for another and placing it in the microwave. Raphael set Emily down in her seat, then moved to help Michelangelo get food ready. Claire sat down beside her and watched the brothers.

From what she'd observed, Raphael and Mikey seemed to have sort of a love-hate relationship. They could get along just like they were now, laughing and picking with each other, or they could be at each others throats. At the moment, she could easily see that they were two members of a team – they moved around like they knew where the other one was at all times. The kitchen was small, but they didn't run into each other. Even with the simply movements there was a certain fluidity. Claire found herself wondering what they would look like actually _fighting_.

Especially Donatello.

…

"I think I'd rather get shot again than go through this," Sloan said between breaths as yet another contraction left her.

"I don't," Leo and Don replied at the same time. They grinned at each other, then focused on Sloan as another wave rolled through her.

"This sucks!" she cried out before she was lost to the pain. Her stomach felt like her child was trying to come right through her skin rather than the place God ordained her child to enter the world from. She _so badly_ wanted to push, but Donnie had told her not fifteen minutes earlier that she couldn't yet. She wasn't completely dilated, much to her disbelief and chagrin.

She wanted to meet her son or daughter. She was tired of carrying it in her stomach and she wanted to hold her child in her arms. She wanted to see Leo with their child. She was ready to hear its cries, to feed and change it, to sing it to sleep, to begin raising it. She wanted to see how Splinter would react to his grandchild. She wanted –

"_Oooooohhhhh Gooooood!_" She cried as another contraction hit her. They seemed like they never ended, like the last hour had been nothing but one single contraction. It began to ebb away, and she could already feel another one beginning.

"Can we give her anything?" she heard Leo ask, and she felt him rubbing a cool washcloth across her forehead.

"Not at this point," April said sadly from her other side. "She's too close for it to take effect."

"It's almost time," Donnie said, getting into his spot at the end of the cot. He looked at Leonardo, eye ridges raised. "I need you to keep her going, okay? It's almost time to push." He grinned and looked at Sloan. "You ready to be a mom?"

"More than anything," she breathed just before her body erupted in pain again.

"Okay," Don said, moving her legs so that he could get to the baby. He nodded at April, and she moved to assist him. Hannah took her place and grabbed Sloan's other hand.

"You can do this, babe," she told the red-head.

"Okay, Sloan, on the next contraction, I need you to push. Think you can handle that?"

"Been waitin' to hear those words this entire time!" Sloan replied, ending in a cry as what she hoped would be the last contraction hit.

"All right..._PUSH_!"

It actually felt better to push – it seemed to alleviate some of the pressure on her lower body. Or maybe she was just able to focus on something besides the pain, and that in itself took away her pain. She was _so close_, all she had to do was keep pushing. Beside her, her husband and friend encouraged her, keeping her going.

"Come on, you're doing great, Sloan," Leo told her, helping her sit up to push. "You got it, baby, keep going."

"You can do it, Sloan," Hannah said. "He's right, you're almost there."

"One more push and it'll be done!" Donnie announced. Through her sweat-laden eyelashes, Sloan could see April move closer with a large towel to wrap the baby in once it arrived.

"Here we go. _Push, Sloan_!"

And push she did. She put every single last ounce of energy she had left into that last push. She could actually feel something moving down there, and suddenly...

…

Donatello laughed as the child's cries echoed throughout the lab. He held the baby in his bloody hands, marveling at yet another of life's great mysteries. He was so engrossed in checking it to make sure it was healthy that he didn't think to check the gender yet. Sloan slumped back against the sweat-soaked pillows on the cot, breathing hard while Leo told her what a good job she did and kissed her face. April wrapped the baby in a towel and took it off Donnie's hands as he reached for the surgical shears. He handed them to Leo so he could cut the umbilical cord, and after he allowed April and Hannah to carry the baby over to where they could clean it off.

"Congratulations, guys," Donnie said after making sure Sloan was okay. "You're parents."

Leo smiled from his spot on the cot behind Sloan. He had moved to sit with her leaning against him, his arms wrapped tightly around her tired frame. "Thanks, Donnie."

Donatello nodded and moved to clean himself up before giving the good news to the family. He heard Leo whispering to Sloan, and he didn't want to intrude on their quiet moment. He grinned as he saw that the baby had been effectively cleaned, and that there was a shocking amount of red hair atop its little head. April was now wrapping it in a fresh blanket.

No, not it.

_Him_.

"Guys," Hannah exclaimed happily, following April over to the cot. "You have a son!"

The purple-masked turtle smiled wider as he washed his hands and stripped out of the robe he'd been wearing. He threw a glance over his shoulder as he moved toward the door, watching Sloan's eyes light up as she held her son for the first time.

…

Claire looked up from her new spot on the couch between Raph and Mikey as Donatello came out of the lab. She smiled in response to the huge grin plastered across the genius turtle's face.

"Guys, we're uncles!" he announced.

Michelangelo and Raphael immediately launched off the couch and cheered, rushing to get into the lab and see the newest addition to the family. And she felt privileged enough to be there to see it. She stood, leaving Emily to sleep in the recliner, and went to meet him.

"Everything go well?" she asked. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her into the air and spinning with her.

"Perfectly," he answered, setting her down. "Oh, Claire, Sloan did _amazing_! She was a trooper. And April and Hannah were great. Leo kept his cool the entire time, and now we all have a nephew!"

"Aw! It was a boy?" she asked, and he hugged her again.

"I don't know his name yet. I wanted to give Leo and Sloan some time with him before we all bombarded them with questions."

"That makes sense," Claire answered. She took his arm and turned him toward the lab. "Now let's go formally meet your nephew."

…

Sloan gazed down at her son, a happiness she hadn't felt in a long time filling her heart. Beside her, Leonardo copied her.

"He's soooooo cute!" Mikey gushed. He was sitting on the cot in front of the new family, just looking at the baby boy.

"He really is, Sloan," Hannah said. Raphael was standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her shoulders and his chin resting on her shoulder. "You did good."

"Yeah, an' he looks like tha spittin' image of ya."

"Thank God for that," Leo murmured, gently drawing a finger down the baby's cheek.

Donnie and Claire came in then, taking up a spot and closing off the semi-circle surrounding Sloan and her husband.

"Any ideas for names?" the genius asked, wrapping an arm around the curly-haired girl's shoulders.

Sloan looked over her shoulder at Leo and smiled shyly. He returned it, then rested his head on her shoulder.

"James Ira Hamato," he told them.

"Aw!" April gushed. "Your middle names!"

"Kind of," Leo snorted.

Mikey leaned forward and whispered to the baby. "We all love you, James Ira Hamato. But I love you the most! I'm your Uncle Mikey, the cool one. I'm gonna teach you all the tricks – skateboarding, shotgunning pizzas – "

"You are _not_ teaching my son how to shotgun a pizza, Michelangelo," Leo said sternly, making everybody chuckle.

"Whatever, lil' dude. Your dad's just jealous 'cause he _can't_ do it. But Uncle Mikey's gonna teach ya." He leaned closer and kissed the baby gently on the head. "Love ya, kiddo." He then reached for Sloan and planted an overly-dramatic kiss on her cheek. "And I love _you_, Sloan." Then he grabbed Leo in a headlock and kissed his oldest brother on top of his head. "And I love _you_, Fearless!"

"Hey, Mikey, Leo's s'posed ta be the one handin' out the love fest, here," Raphael said, chuckling.

"I can't help it!" Mikey answered. "It's just so exciting, finally having this little guy around. I can't wait to see him grow."

"Let him be little for a while, Michelangelo," Sloan said softly. "And now, if you don't mind, I would love to be able to get some rest."

April began shooing them all out of the lab while Donnie and Claire helped set up a spot for James to sleep that night. Leo said he would stay in the lab with his wife, sleeping in Donnie's desk chair. Once everyone had gone and the lights had been turned down, Leo scooted closer to Sloan.

"You did it," he said softly, caressing her cheek.

"All without an epidural, amazingly enough," she answered, grinning. "God, Leo, he's beautiful. I was so worried that he'd...I dunno, come out looking all wrong. But somehow, I think he looks just as I imagined he would."

Leo rested his head beside his wife's and kissed her forehead lightly. "He looks just like you."

"Mm."

"Get some rest, Sloan. You've earned it."

"Mhm," she agreed, her eyes already closed. "I love you, Leonardo."

Leo drew closer and kissed her, then whispered in her ear. "_Watashi ni kodomo o ataete itadaki, arigatōgozaimasu. Watashi wa anata o totemo aishite._" And he settled back in his chair to get his own shut-eye.

…

Donatello grinned as Mikey gently picked up the still-sleeping Emily and carried her to her room. Raph and Hannah went to their room, and April said goodbye to them all as she headed out herself. The purple-masked turtle led Claire to the couch, and they both collapsed onto it. He draped an arm across her shoulders and drew her close.

"I can't believe he's finally here," he said. "Things are going to start changing."

Claire wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his chest as he leaned back against the cushions. "You did good, Doctor Donnie. Perfect delivery."

"Yeah...but now all I want to do is _sleep_ for a good day or so."

Claire laughed. "You've earned it. The problem is...your bed is currently being occupied by a recovering mother."

He frowned in the darkness of the room. "Yeah, I could foresee a problem there."

"Seriously though, what are you going to do?"

He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "You don't have any problem with me taking the couch, do you?" he asked, grinning.

"Not at all." She kissed him goodnight, then slid out of his embrace and headed toward her room. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Claire."

* * *

**Leo's Japanese means "Thank you for giving me a child. I love you so much." Thought I should put a little Japanese in here :) Review guys!**


	14. Strange Happenings

**Another chapter! YES! I'm posting another chapter! Does that mean I'm done with school?**

**Sadly...no. **

**BUT I've been working on this chapter for a while and figured "Eh, why not." So here you go! Chapter 14.**

**Boom.**

* * *

Sloan stirred some time later, something within the lab waking her up despite her exhaustion. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked to the chair beside her bed where Leonardo was still sound asleep, resting his head on his fist. She couldn't hear James crying, but she soon discovered that was because Master Splinter was holding him, singing quietly to him in Japanese. She smiled softly, content to just watch her father-in-law interact with his unofficial grandchild. He rocked James gently a couple times, then slowly placed him back in the bassinet.

"You should be getting your rest, my daughter," he said softly, keen onyx eyes turning to her in the darkened lab.

"I know," she answered just as quietly. "But I guess I'm still keyed up from today. I can't stop thinking about the fact that I'm a _mom_ now." She bit her lip, glancing back over to where James was sleeping. "I'm terrified."

Splinter walked over to the cot and sat down beside her. "I understand. I felt the same way the day after my sons and I first underwent our transformation. I was suddenly the caretaker of four rambunctious toddlers, and I had no idea what I was doing."

"Well, you did a pretty good job raising them."

"As will you with your son," the rat-master replied. He gently covered her hand with one of his. "You once told Leonardo that you would not be raising James on your own. Now _you_ need to believe that. We are all here to help in whatever way we can. Do not forget that."

Sloan smiled, leaning forward as much as she could and wrapping her arms around her father-in-law. "Thank you, _Chichi-san_."

"_Sensei_?" a tired voice said, and Sloan pulled back to see that Leonardo had woken up. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I came to visit my grandson, seeing as I did not get the chance to earlier. I was too busy praying for Sloan's delivery."

Leo grinned. "Thank you, Father."

Splinter stood and embraced his eldest son before turning back toward the door. "I believe it is late enough for me to start my morning meditation. Leonardo?"

"_Hai, Sensei_."

"Training is postponed for the week so you and Sloan may get settled in with James."

Sloan grinned at the wide smile across her husband's face as he bowed in response to Splinter. Once the rat-master was gone, he turned back to her.

"Still in shock?"

"It's starting to go away," she answered. She patted the spot on the bed that Splinter had just vacated, and Leo immediately sat down and took her in his arms and kissed her.

"We're parents."

"I know."

He rested his head on hers, then suddenly stood when James began fussing. He gently picked him up, gently bouncing and rocking him to calm him down.

"Shh, little man, it's okay. Daddy's here."

James quieted a little, but still continued to fuss. Leo sat down beside Sloan again, holding James so she could get to him as well.

"Do you think he's hungry?"

"I fed him before we went to sleep, but it's possible. Here," Sloan reached out and took James into her arms as Leo handed him over. The baby began to nurse, instantly falling still again.

"Well, I guess that was it," Leo grinned.

Sloan grinned and glanced up at him as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. After a while, James was full, and Sloan re-situated the gown she was wearing to cover herself again. She gently burped him, then cradled James. She'd hoped he would drift off again and let her and Leo have a little more sleep, but the baby wasn't going to cooperate. He was still fussy.

"Diaper?" Leo suggested.

Sloan checked and shook her head. "Maybe he's just being a fussy man, tonight. It _is _the first night he's spent in the real world." She held him closer, and an idea suddenly presented itself. She began to sing softly.

"_Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine_."

"...Sloan," Leo began.

"Shh. I think he's beginning to go to sleep."

"Sloan!" Leo whispered, more insistently. She finally looked up to see that he was staring at something around her neck, gray eyes wide. "Look."

She did, glancing down at herself...and gasped.

The pendant her mother had given her was _glowing_. She lifted a shaky hand to touch it, and found it to be warm. And it was _humming_.

"What were you singing?" Leo asked.

"I-it was just a song," she answered, turning confused blue eyes to him. "My mom used to sing to Emily and I when she was alive."

"But what _language_ was it?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "English, Leo. I don't know any other language."

He stared incredulously at her, and she noticed for the first time that he had his phone in his hand. "I-I think you need to hear this, then."

He pressed a button, and Sloan heard her voice emitting from the recording he'd apparently made on his phone.

"_Mianach linbh, Nach bhfuil tú ag gol__. M__ianach leanbh, tirim do chuid súl. An chuid eile do cheann gar do mo chroí, riamh go páirteach, leanbh de mianach_."

The pendant began humming faster, and Sloan began to shake. Leo immediately picked James up and placed him back in the bassinet, and Sloan was happy to let him. She didn't know what was going on, and she didn't want her son anywhere near it at the moment.

"Leo, that's...that's not what I was singing. I was speaking English, I swear! I don't understand – "

"Shh, it's okay," he replied, taking her into his arms. "I'll wake Donnie up and see if he knows what happened."

"No," Sloan began. "He needs his rest...wake Claire up. I think she might know a little more about this stuff."

Leo's face fell into what Sloan called his "planning face." She bit her lip, scared and wondering what he was thinking.

"The whole 'glowing pendant' thing probably isn't Donnie's specialty, is it?"

The red-head shook her head, and sighed as Leo released her.

"I'll go get Claire."

…

The curly-haired witch stirred and rolled over in the warm bed, burying her face in the pillow that smelled like Donatello. She hated to admit it, but there in the darkness she couldn't lie to herself. She felt intoxicated by everything about the genius turtle – his voice, his quiet strength, even his smell. Even though she respected his decision to get to know her better before taking that crucial next stage in their relationship, she hoped it would come soon. It had only been about six hours since she'd said goodbye to him, and already she was missing him. His scent that still lingered on his sheets and pillow was the only thing keeping her sane.

_I think you need to call your aunts and thank them,_ Salem purred into her mind, rubbing his small head against her arm where it rested beside him.

"Oh, whatever," Claire responded, but grinned all the same and inhaled Donnie's scent again. It was herbal and musky and _amazing_.

And then she realized that wasn't what had woken her up.

Claire frowned and sat up in bed just before a light knock sounded on her door, sending Salem scrambling to the other side of the bed. Something wasn't right.

"Yes?" Claire called softly, her nervousness showing through in the tremulous quality to her voice. She grew even more anxious when Leonardo slowly opened her door a crack.

"Claire, we need your help."

She was out of bed in an instant. "What? What's wrong? Is there something wrong with James?"

The blue masked turtle stepped aside as she moved past him out of the room, looking a little more at ease when he saw she was dressed in a t shirt and shorts. Dimly, Claire realized that he must have thought she'd be more indecent, but that wasn't what was important right now. Claire swiftly made her way down the stairs, closely followed by the eldest turtle.

Leo shook his head. "No, it's...it's Sloan. James woke up and was fussing, and she was singing him to sleep. Only...she sang in a different language, and the pendant her mom left her was...Claire, it was _glowing_."

The witch nodded as they approached the lab. "I noticed it was humming earlier after she gave birth."

Leonardo suddenly stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder, spinning her around to face him. "Wait, you noticed something weird was going on, and you didn't think to tell us about it _then_?!"

"I didn't want you to worry for no reason."

"Well, I'm worrying _now_! What if it's dangerous? What if it's going to hurt Sloan or James?! What – "

"Leo?" a tired voice said from the living room, and they both turned to see Donatello sitting up, unmasked and bleary-eyed. "What's wrong? Is it Sloan?"

Claire grimaced and pulled her shoulder out of Leo's grasp, moving closer to Don. "I'm sorry, Donnie. I didn't think you'd wake up."

"Kind of hard not to when Leo's yelling like that."

"I wasn't yelling," the blue-masked turtle countered heatedly. "And, in any case, I have a right to yell! Claire _knew_ something was up with Sloan, and she didn't –"

"You have no right ta yell when yer wakin' up the entire place," another, more distinctive voice said from upstairs. Claire looked up to see Raphael standing outside his room, also unmasked and resting his hands on the railing in front of him. Hannah stood next to him, dressed in an oversized Jets t shirt that fell off one shoulder and reached her knees.

"But, Sloan – "

"She's _fine_, Leo," Claire assured him, moving toward the lab again. She tried to ignore the fact that both Donnie and Leo were following her now, and she was certain Hannah and Raph wouldn't be too far behind. She was almost surprised that Michelangelo hadn't joined the party as well.

Upon walking through the door Claire went straight for the red-head, who was sitting up and looking at the pendant in her hands. She glanced up as they all entered, looking surprised at the amount of people that followed the curly-haired witch, then raised a finger to her lips and pointed to where James slept peacefully. Claire nodded, getting the message, then reached out and gripped Sloan's small arm gently.

"Sloan," she began softly. "Can I see the pendant?"

The red-head frowned, looking back down at it. "Honestly, I don't like to be without it. I feel...colder when I don't have it on."

"I know," Claire answered, but held out her hand for it anyway. "I need to see it for a spell, though, to see if it is what I think it is."

After a moment of thought, Sloan nodded and slowly lifted the chain over her head and handed it over.

Claire took it, and after casting a silent spell for the pendant to reveal any malignant aspects, she immediately knew she was right. There was nothing dark within it. The pendant was warm to the touch, much warmer than it should have been had Sloan's skin merely warmed it. It was still humming, though so faintly that had she not known what to look for she wouldn't even be able to feel it. It wasn't glowing anymore, like Leo had said it was, but there was no way for Claire to deny the power it was emitting. She glanced up at Sloan, and almost blanched at what she saw.

Sloan seemed paler, her freckles standing out against her stark-white skin, and she was hugging herself and shivering. Leo went to stand beside her, wrapping his arms around his wife and looking stonily over at Claire as she inspected the pendant.

The witch looked to Hannah, who was leaning against the desk beside the cot, and relayed what Leo told her had happened. "Have you ever heard of that happening?"

The demigod looked thoughtful for a moment, then slowly nodded her head. "Only when magic was involved, though, and that's _your_ department."

Claire thought about the pendant for a bit longer, trying to ignore everyone else's eyes on her. She remembered something her aunts had told her about a similar event a long time ago, but she couldn't recall the specifics. She needed to consult with them to be sure, but she thought she had a good idea of what was going on.

"Leo, you said Sloan was singing in a different language?"

He nodded, pulling the phone out of his belt and replaying the recording he'd made. Around the room, Claire watched the others as she listened. Donnie looked even more thoughtful than she did, Raphael looked confused, and Hannah's look darkened.

"But," the red-masked turtle began once the recording stopped. He turned to his girlfriend. "_You_ sometimes slip inta ancient Greek when yer pissed. This ain't any diff'rent, is it?"

"Yeah, but I always _know_ that I'm speaking a different language." Hannah looked at Sloan. "You didn't know you'd _not_ spoken English, did you?"

The red-head shrugged, still nestled within Leo's arms. "I honestly can't remember what I'd been thinking when it happened. I _understood _it as if I were speaking English, but apparently I'd sung in...whatever that language is. It's just weird because I don't even _know_ any other languages. And a few words and phrases in Japanese don't count."

"And we all know that _that_ wasn't Japanese," Donnie commented.

Claire _hmm_ed and handed the pendant back to Sloan, who gratefully replaced it around her neck. She visibly sagged with relief, her skin returning to its healthy glow and her body warming.

"That was strange," Leo commented, glancing down at his wife.

"But welcome," Sloan told him, holding the pendant in her hand. "I don't like not having it on me."

The witch leaned against the cot, still deep in thought. "It didn't sound like Welsh, or Russian, or Spanish. It wasn't French, or Portuguese."

"It wasn't Greek," Hannah put in. "Or Latin."

Claire replayed the words and sounds over and over again in her mind, but she couldn't place the language at all. It wasn't anything she'd had much experience with.

"Well," she finally said after a long while. "I don't have any answers for the language problem, unfortunately. But what I _can_ tell you is that Sloan's pendant is actually a talisman infused with magical properties. It's designed to induce strength, warmth, and vitality through magic. It's nothing bad or dangerous...but I take it it's never done anything like this before, right?"

Everyone shook their heads, and Claire continued. "That's what makes me think this is a result of James' birth. Something was triggered, and I noticed it right after the baby was born. It was triggered again when she was singing. If we knew what language Sloan was singing in, we might be able to figure out a little bit more about the whole thing."

"But it's safe," Leo said. "That's the important thing."

Claire nodded. "I didn't sense any dark magic in it. It seems the pendant was made for light magic – magic to heal and encourage and help. Sloan..." she reached out and patted the red-head's hand. "If I were you, I wouldn't ever take that pendant off again."

"And," Leonardo began, gently squeezing Sloan's shoulders and focusing on her. "As much as I know you don't want to, I think it's time for you to open that letter from your mother."

Sloan bit her lip, then slowly nodded. "I will, tomorrow. Right now, I'm still exhausted despite all this excitement."

"Well, we'll leave ya ta yerself, then, sis." Raph said, gently pulling Hannah out of the lab with him. The demigod waved at them, then they were gone.

"Thank you, Claire," Leo said, turning to the witch. "And...I'm sorry I yelled at you. I should have trusted your judgment."

"It's okay, Leo, you were scared," she replied as Donatello took her hand. "I didn't sense anything bad earlier, so I didn't think much of it." She smiled as the purple-masked turtle pulled her towards the door as well. "We'll figure this out. Don't worry too much about it."

The couple nodded at the same time, and Claire grinned and waved at them as Don said goodnight for them both and pulled her out of the lab with him.

…

"I wonder if I should – _oof_!"

Don pulled Claire into a tight embrace as soon as the lab door had closed behind them. He buried his face in her hair, noting that it smelled slightly like him, and held her close.

"Uh...Donnie?" she asked, her voice slightly muffled. "Is everything okay?"

"I kept dreaming about you," he said. "I woke up every hour hoping you'd be beside me."

He felt her laugh against him. "Is that why you woke up when Leo and I came down?"

"I was already awake. I think I woke up the minute I heard your door open."

She pulled back, looking up at him and grinning. "I only slept a few hours. I kept, um..." She looked away, biting her lip.

"What?" He bowed his head, trying to catch her eye.

"...smelling your pillow..." She answered in a small voice.

He chuckled, then pulled her to him and rested his forehead against hers. "That's not creepy at all."

"Shut up," she answered, but she smiled as well.

Donatello ducked in and caught her lips in a kiss while pulling her back towards the couch at the same time. She smiled against him and followed him, moving closer so he could wrap his arms all the way around her.

It seemed as if the presence of his scent on her was making him even more excited to have her in his arms. He deepened the kiss and felt her shudder, then he moved slowly down her neck as they approached the couch. He felt her nails dig into his skin, and he growled and initiated another kiss.

The cushions from the couch hit the backs of his knees, and he pulled Claire down on top of him as he fell back. She giggled and smiled down at him, pink staining her cheeks, before ducking her head and claiming another kiss.

He inhaled her scent again as he turned, pinning her between his body and the back of the couch. He nuzzled her forehead, then rested his head back on the pillow. She laid her head on his shoulder, burying her face in his neck, and settled down to sleep again.

* * *

**ReveeeiiiIIIEEEwwwWWW! :3**


	15. Just Go To Sleep

**Okay, guys, so a lot has happened in the last...what, three weeks? I finished all my crazy papers, including my Senior paper, I started Summer classes and I'm beginning to get my internship in order, aaaaaaaaand I GOT ENGAGED! :D So, if this chapter's short, I apologize, but my mind is in three different places right now. And, I felt like I couldn't just keep going on the chapter once I wrote the last section. You'll see why :)**

**Okay, onward!**

* * *

Michelangelo rolled over and sighed, having been awoken by some unknown phenomenon. It was whatever woke people up randomly in the middle of the night and refused to let them go back to sleep. So far, he'd been awake for two hours now, just tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position on which to lay his shell.

Giving up, he glanced at the blue numbers on the digital clock by his bedside. 5:47. He might as well get up and start on breakfast. As he sat up and began pulling on his belt, pads, and mask, he began going over what he could create in the kitchen that morning.

_Pancakes? Nah, we made them earlier this week. I'm thinking more along the lines of omelettes, with all the fixings. Veggies, tomatoes, cheese, the works. _

He yawned and left his room, noting how dark it still was in the lair. After the events of the day before, he wasn't surprised. He figured everyone would want to sleep in as much as they could.

Mikey rubbed his eyes as he passed Raphael's room, slowing when he saw the door was slightly ajar. He peeked inside to see Raph's dark green arm thrown across Hannah's waist, standing out harshly against the gray Jets shirt she was wearing. Mikey knew it was one of Raph's old ones from when they were younger and wore clothes during the winter to help keep warm. He grinned, thinking back to the time when he'd first met Hannah and she'd argued that the NY Jets were a much better football team than the Giants.

The orange-banded turtle moved on, going down the iron staircase and making his way quietly to the kitchen. He passed Donnie, out cold on the couch, and almost overlooked it until he saw a flash of brown against Don's skin. Mikey narrowed his eyes and moved silently closer, looking over the back of the couch. There, nestled tightly in his immediate older brother's arms was Claire. Mikey grinned again and thought about how funny it was that the newest couple couldn't seem to stand a single full night apart after finding each other again.

He quietly backed away and moved into the kitchen, getting ready to prepare for the breakfast. Halfway through his preparations, however, something happened. He started thinking about how happy Leo and Sloan were now that they had James, how Raph and Hannah seemed ecstatic to be with each other again, how Donnie was finally happy to finally have someone to care about – Claire.

Meditating on his family's happiness led Mikey to start thinking about his own happiness. If he would ever find that level with someone, if a girl would ever wear one of his old t-shirts to bed with him.

The orange-masked turtle slowly lowered the knife he'd been using to cut vegetables, slipping into an uncharacteristic darkness. He was afraid that he would never find anyone to feel that way about him. He would never find someone to love that fully.

He shook his head suddenly. _Where the shell did _that_ come from?_ He wondered. That wasn't like him at all. He understood that, more likely than not, he would eventually find someone. The odds were in his favor. Never mind the fact that Raph was in love with a Greek demigod...and Donnie with a witch. Sloan seemed normal enough...except for her dad being best friends with one of their mortal enemies and her mom hiding a strange letter under a large piece of furniture in her old house's attic.

He blinked. Well, maybe the odds weren't _exactly_ stacked in his favor.

"This blows," he murmured. "This kind of thinking isn't me _at all_. I'll find someone...it may just take a while." He suddenly smiled. "I can't let this silly thing get me down. This isn't me."

He needed to cheer up. Christmas was coming soon, they had two new additions to their family, and he was supposed to be the fun-loving turtle. He picked the knife back up and continued cutting vegetables for that morning's omelets. He grinned as he suddenly got a great idea to brighten things up even more. He wouldn't act on it yet; no, it needed to be refined and tweaked. But soon, he would implement it.

And his favorite brother to prank wouldn't know what hit him.

…

She'd told them all she was too tired, but really all she wanted was to be left alone with her thoughts. At Leo's mention of her mother's letter, a pit of apprehension had formed in her stomach. She _really_ didn't want to open it. She was afraid that whatever her mother had been forced to hide under a huge _vanity_ was worth keeping from Sloan's grandparents, that it was a secret her mother had kept and whatever it was, she'd been afraid to let her own parents know.

Leo had forgone the chair and had decided to curl up next to Sloan on the cot. His shell was wedged against the wall, his strong arms wrapped around his wife as he slept. Sloan was anything but tired. Her brain was moving a mile a minute, it seemed, and she fingered the medallion while she thought.

She was brought back down to earth by the feeling of lips on her cheek. She inhaled deeply, feigning being woken from sleep, and turned her head to face her husband.

"Hi," she murmured.

"Hello there," he answered, nuzzling her cheek. "How're you feeling?"

She gave him a small smile. "Better. I'm still a little sore, but it's not as bad as it was last night." She sighed. "Honestly, I'm just a little scared of what's in my mom's letter."

Leonardo tightened his hold on his wife and rested his forehead against her temple. "Do you want me to be there too?"

Sloan nodded. "Yeah, it'd make me feel better."

"Okay," he answered, shifting into a more comfortable position. "We'll open it in the morning. Right now..." He kissed Sloan lingeringly on the cheek. "Let's go back to sleep."

The new mother smiled just a bit wider, the apprehension in her stomach abating somewhat. She wasn't alone, and whatever her mother had to tell her she could handle.

She hoped.

…

"Can you believe it?" Hannah asked for the fourth time. "Sloan's baby is _actually_ here!"

"Uh-huh," Raph answered, his face slightly smooshed against his pillow and causing his answer to be muffled.

"He's _soooooo_ cute!"

"Mhm."

"And it's good that James looks like his mom...I'd hate for him to look like the asshole that raped her."

Raphael sat up on his elbows and turned to look at his girlfriend. "Are you _ever_ going to fall back asleep?" he asked tiredly.

She sat up and crossed her long legs. "I don't know. I guess I'm still too wired from earlier to sleep."

"Ya slept just fine earlier after James was born." He collapsed back against his pillow.

She leaned over and rested a hand on his muscled arm, dropping her voice slightly. "Yeah, well, there was a little more activity involved to tire me out then."

He grinned lazily, but didn't open his eyes again. "Sorry, Kid, I need ta sleep now."

Hannah smiled back and kissed him softly on the cheek. "I'm sorry, Red. I'll try to calm down."

"Dat's all I ask."

…

Shredder looked at himself in the mirror and _did not_ like what he saw.

The search for the stupid red-headed girl had taken precedence in his mind, and he'd failed to see any results. His skin had lost its normal glow, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair had lost most of its sheen. This search that had gone nearly a whole year without bearing any results, and he was growing increasingly impatient. The search had become an obsession.

One that was extremely unhealthy.

"That girl..." he growled to himself, still staring into his own soulless onyx eyes. Every time he closed them, he saw a flash of red hair, a body covered in freckles. He heard the soft yet determined timbre of her voice, her angry Southern accent. But above all, he saw her startlingly blue eyes – how they seemed to burn a hole through him and yet make him feel as if he'd been doused in cold water. They were both fire and ice.

And the thought that Leonardo – that _turtle_ – was the only one who was allowed to enjoy it made him physically ill.

"That girl _will_ be mine...or _no one else's_."

* * *

**Bum-bum-BUUUUUUUUM! He's baaaaaack! Review guys!**


	16. The Letter

**Here. Hope this appeases the masses.**

* * *

Sloan waited until James had been fed that next morning, and she and Leo had respectfully asked for a little bit of privacy from the rest of the family. He had gone upstairs to their room to get her a change of clothes and to retrieve the letter from its hiding place. After helping her change, Leo wordlessly handed over the letter and went to make sure James was sleeping.

The red head sat back against her pillows and took a deep breath. Screwing her eyes shut, she snuck a finger under the flap of the envelope and slid it to the side, effectively opening the letter. Her hands shook as she slowly unfolded the paper – or _papers_; the letter was extremely long.

So, still trying to convince herself that she could handle her mother's words, Sloan began to read.

_My dearest Sloan, _

_If you are reading this, then you have more than likely retreated to the North Carolina house. It was always the one place where you felt truly safe and at home. However, the fact that you have returned probably means that your father and I are gone, and you've sought refuge there from the city. It also means you may have had a run-in with the Dragons, that they were the ones to take care of your father and I. _

_Sloan, the first thing you should know is that your father was not_ _a bad man. I knew about his past with the Purple Dragons when I married him, and he assured me that his gang days were over. _

_But you should also know that the Dragons rarely give up so easily. _

_They came back when we moved back to New York City, threatening your father and I with violence if he did not return to their ranks and help them. At this point in time, your father had just been accepted onto the NYPD force, and he didn't want to risk messing that up. _

_Unfortunately the Dragons wouldn't leave well enough alone. They grabbed me on my way back from the store and took me to one of their warehouses. I thought that I would never see your father again, but as soon as I arrived your father's old friend Hun (he went by David at the time) immediately recognized me and pulled me away. He saved my life, Sloan, and he called Jack up and I was soon back in the arms of your father. _

_Naturally, Hun could not continue to protect me like that, and Jack agreed to help them to prevent my recapture. I begged him not to – reasoning that I could take care of myself and such – but he told me it was the only certain way to keep me safe. _

_Two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant with you, Sloan. And your father threw himself into working with the Dragons. The more he did, the more valuable he became to their cause. As much as we hated them, we were officially under their protection. _

_Sloan, honey, I don't want you to hate your father. Jack Millar, in spite of all his faults, was a wonderful man and father. I know he grew more distant when Emily had been born, but (and I must be honest here) she was a wonderful accident and he hadn't been expecting me to get pregnant again. We'd decided after you were born that we didn't need to risk the safety of our family by letting it grow any bigger. He was distant because our family expanded anyway, and he now had three people to worry about rather than two. _

_I could continue defending your father, but there are so many more things that I want to tell you and I believe that you can discern for yourself if you decide to trust his actions. I am saddened that I can't tell you these things in person, but this letter will have to suffice._

_Darling, what I am about to tell you may seem crazy, but I assure you, it is true. When I was about six months pregnant with you, I was home alone while your father was working late at the station. I don't know if I fell asleep or if this was an actual occurrence – in any case, I was visited by a strange woman. She stood before the fireplace, and though it was summer there was a roaring fire in the hearth. Her skin was pale and beautiful, like cream, and her hair was so red that it seemed to embody the spirit of the fire behind her. In the sudden darkness of the room, her bright blue eyes shone through and rested right on my slightly swollen stomach. _

_"This child," she began. "Will be one of mine. She will hold much power, but will only come to realize it when under the direst of situations. She will lead a hard life, but will prevail with the help of love, family, and her own self." _

_I wanted to ask her what she meant – who she was – but somehow I knew the answers to those questions. Brighid, Celtic goddess of Family, War, and the Hearth. I suppose that somewhere in our family, the same thing had happened. I hoped so, anyway. _

_When you were born, Sloan, you had the most shocking amount of red hair, the exact same shade as Brighid's. Jack questioned me about it, and I responded that the gene for red hair must have been present in one of our genetic codes. _

_As you grew, it became my personal mission to keep you safe from any kind of hardship. I was a desperate mother, trying hard not to believe Brighid's words but failing to do so. You got older, I kept you from dating or going out when it was dark. I know you must have resented me for it, but I simply had your best interests at heart. You will understand one day, when you have a child of your own. _

Sloan had to stop for a moment because the words on the pages were becoming blurry. She had understood her mother's motivation for keeping her safe, and she had never once resented Annemarie Millar for them. The fact that her mother had thought she did made Sloan sad – and made her wish she'd been able to say goodbye to the woman who birthed her.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes, exhaling shakily. She was determined to see this through till the end. Leonardo came over then and sat behind her, taking her securely in his arms and lowering his head to rest on her shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the skin on her neck. "I'm here."

Sloan didn't say anything, but she did hand over the previous pages of the letter so he could read them. Then she turned her attention back to the letter.

_Obviously, I failed. My husband and I are dead, leaving you and Emily parentless. I hope very much that you and your sister are still together, and it is with this hope in mind that I begin speaking to you on the first of three things: family. _

_I want to thank you for how you helped with Emily. She trusts you wholeheartedly, and looks up to you as if you were the greatest person on Earth. You must be careful because of this. She will do exactly as you do, and you must watch your actions and language around her. I know you're not going to do anything extremely horrible – I know I raised you better than that – but if I am gone Emily will look to you even more than she already does. _

_When it comes time for you to start your own family, I can leave you this advice: don't do things on your own. Your significant other will be more than willing to help (or at least he should) so __let__him__. My dear, if you have any fears about raising children, you should have none. I've seen how you are with Emily, and I can __promise__ you that you will be a wonderful mother. _

_Along with children, you will have a responsibility to your husband. I know you will not like that, given your recent discovery of feminism, but this does not change the fact that he will need you just as you need him. He will meet hardships just as you will, and he will only get through them with your help. _

_With that being said, I must speak to you now about love. _

_When you find that one person, you'll know. I wish I could accurately explain how this will be, but I'm afraid I'll just have to give it my best shot. _

_My darling, he will complete you in ways that you didn't even know you were lacking. He will never ask more from you than you are willing to give, and he will always respect and revere you. _

_Whether he is a good lover or not is irrelevant. My sincere hope for you is that you will find him soon enough for him to be the only lover you ever take, and therefore have nothing to compare him to. I'm sad to say this did not happen for your father, nor I. Him being a Dragon, he'd experienced his fair share of activity before meeting me. I also had a few experiences of my own. I __can_ _tell you that your father was my last, and best. I think it was because I loved him so much, that any shortcomings he had in the bedroom were overlooked. But he __was__ the best for me, that much I am certain of._

_I will honestly say that your first few times will hurt, but if he is gentle and patient he will help you with that. Your husband should literally be the missing half of yourself that you cannot live without. Love him fully, and I hope he will love you just as much. Let love be the one thing that drives you, that makes your decisions and guides your heart. _

_As for the question of your own self, only you can know what you are capable of. Whatever hardships you have faced and have yet to face, I believe you will come through. You are strong enough to do so, I am sure of it. _

_My dear, I love you with all my heart, and I know you will succeed in life. You will grow and start a family and (hopefully) be surrounded by love. _

_Sloan, my child, my very flesh, I love you with every fiber of my being. May you be blessed with happiness all your days. _

_Tell Emily I love her just as much. I __will__ see you again, I __promise__. _

_Your loving mother, _

_Annemarie_

The tears fell freely as Sloan handed the last of the pages over for Leo to read. She barely kept her sobs in check, knowing that they would hurt if she gave in and let them overtake her. She wiped her eyes again as best she could, but tears still fell. She found herself gripping the Open Triad pendant in her hand until her knuckles were white. Then she realized that her mother hadn't said anything about the pendant in her letter. Her curiosity overthrew her grief for the moment, and she reached for the envelope again to see if there was anything else her mother had left her.

There was.

She pulled out a smaller, folded up piece of paper that looked like it had been hastily written upon.

_Sloan, last night Brighid visited me again. She gave me a pendant and told me to wear it non-stop for a fortnight, then to hide it. I'm planning on placing it with this letter in the same area. Brighid told me it was very important that you find it, that you would need it in the future. _

_I have a feeling that my time is growing short. I have had the immense honor and pleasure to witness you becoming a wonderful young woman, and now I hope you will continue to be so when I am gone. _

_All my love, _

_Momma_

Sloan couldn't speak. She just sat there, trying to process what she'd just read. After a while, she heard Leo finish the pages and set them aside. He gently took the pendant out of her hand, surprising her, and kissed it.

"_Kanojo o hogo shite itadaki arigatōgozaimasu,_" he whispered. He dropped it and wrapped his arms tightly around his wife. He didn't say anything more – he just set his forehead against hers and held her. Sloan allowed him to, feeling his strength as if it could flow from his skin to hers.

After a long while, Sloan set a hand under his chin and gently raised his face to hers. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, sighing when he held her closer. Then James started cooing, and Leo regretfully pulled away and went to get his adoptive son. When he came back and sat with Sloan again, the red head suddenly had a revelation.

As much as she loved her mother, she realized that she needed to stop living in the past. She had a family to care for and a bright future to look forward to. While she had questions – namely who the heck Brighid was and what being "one of hers" meant – Sloan knew that it would have to be put on the back burner for now.

She smiled as little James cooed and babbled, watching as Leo began playing with him. Yest, the letter had been borderline traumatic to read, but Sloan knew she was going to be okay.

She was surrounded by love and family.

…

Emily yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, crawling out of bed. She didn't know what time it was – she didn't have a clock in her room – and she didn't care. She was still trying to figure out how she could have fallen asleep in the living room and woken up in her own bed. Magic? Or Uncle Mikey? In any case, all she wanted to do was go downstairs and see her sister and the new baby. She hadn't seen it last night, because she'd fallen asleep. But now, she was awake, and had a mission.

All the lights in the Lair were on when she slowly made her way to the living room. She saw Donatello and the new girl sitting on the couch, talking about something she didn't understand. Emily crept around them, hoping they wouldn't notice her, and headed for the lab. She didn't see Raph or Aunt Hannah anywhere, or Uncle Mikey. Daddy Splinter wasn't there either.

Emily was confused, but she quickly forgot about all that when she opened the lab door and saw Sloan and Uncle Leo sitting on the bed and looking down at a bunch of blankets sitting between Sloan's legs. The little girl slowly moved forward into the room, her brown eyes searching to see the baby.

"Sloan?" she asked in a small voice. Her sister jumped slightly and sniffled, but smiled when she glimpsed the little girl. Leo moved to lift her onto the bed with them, and Emily settled herself beside the baby. She gasped at the red hair on its – his – head. "Sloan, he looks just like you!"

Her older sister laughed softly. "Yeah, I guess he does."

For the longest time, all Emily could do was gaze at the little bundle in Uncle Leo's arms.

"His name is James."

Emily waved at the baby, even though he was still sleeping. "Hi, James." She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to James' forehead. "I love you."

Sloan laughed again and kissed her sister on the forehead. "And I love _you_, munchkin."

Emily giggled as James stirred and sleepily wrapped a tiny hand around her finger.

"Sloan?"

"Hm?" The red-head's eyes never left James. Behind her, Uncle Leo set his chin on her shoulder and also stared down at the baby.

"We're a family now."

Leo's eyes slid to her, and he moved to pull her into his arms. "Right you are, _Gaki-chan_. Now how about some breakfast?"

* * *

**So, yeah. Leo's Japanese means: "Thank you for protecting her." and the name he calls Emily (and that Don calls her in an earlier chapter means basically "little monkey." So, yeah, review. **


	17. Solstice Day

**So...I know I wasn't very chatty in my last update...and it was short...but I was going through a whole bunch of stuff then. Since then, I've started my internship, began planning my wedding, almost moved everything home, totaled my car (some girl turned left when I had a green light and plowed right into me...I ended up on the sidewalk of our downtown area), and started making plans to move stuff into my fiancee's new house which he gets keys to in two days. So, yeah, needless to say it's been an eventful...month? Oh dear...**

**In any case, I hope this nice, loooooong chapter makes up for everything. It is currently 1:16 AM where I am, and I just finished it. I have to get up early for my internship, but these ideas and such were running around my head and I needed to get them written down. Yaaaaay insomnia! So, I hope you all enjoy. My reviews have kind of dropped off, but hopefully they'll pick up soon...**

**Yeah, that's a hint people :P**

* * *

The weeks passed, and soon it was almost Christmas. The Hamato household slowly settled into a happy rhythm. After the first two weeks, James moved on to sleeping through the night. He slept peacefully in a small bassinet, and then a crib, in Sloan and Leo's room. There were a few nights when both mother and surrogate father awoke, thinking that James had made a noise, only to discover that he was sleeping peacefully.

After reading her mother's letter, Sloan began doing research into Celtic languages. Claire had told her that what she'd spoken wasn't Welsh, so Sloan looked into Irish and Scottish languages and dialects. It was hard to find information, but she finally figured out that she'd been speaking Irish. And not ancient Irish – it was modern-day Gaelic. Finding that out had taken an immense amount of pressure and worry off her shoulders.

She didn't find it hard to believe she was descended from a Celtic goddess. After all, one tended to be more open-minded when married to a giant turtle and having a rat and a demi-god as in-laws (sort of).

Solstice Day was upon Claire, and she kept her promise and decided to visit her sister and aunts. She woke up, moved quietly into the lab, (where Donnie had taken up residence) intending to kiss him goodbye before she left.

He was lying on his shell, his blanket kicked down around his knees. He had no mask, pads, or belt, and Claire blushed slightly as she realized he was effectively naked. She quietly approached, hearing the soft sound of his breathing, and kissed him gently on the lips. She'd expected him to just lay there, but as she was drawing away his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her to him. It was a little awkward, seeing as she was bent over and he'd effectively pinned her across his plastron. But Claire didn't mind as he gently nuzzled the skin where her neck met her shoulder.

"That's one of the best ways to wake up," he murmured sleepily into her curly hair. His fingers trailed up and gently tangled themselves in her tresses.

Claire laughed softly and pressed another kiss to his cheek. She knew this contact was an attempt for him to get enough of her for the day, seeing as she would be gone for the majority of it. But if Donnie felt the same way she did, it wouldn't be near enough. "Well, you're welcome, Donnie," she said anyway. She sat up again and untangled herself from him. "I'll be back later on tonight, okay?"

"Mmkay," he said sleepily, dropping his arms. Claire couldn't help but pull the blanket up over him as he closed his eyes again. "Be safe, 'kay?"

"You got it."

…

It was cold, colder than normal on the first day of winter. It had already snowed a few times, and large drifts lined the sidewalks and nearly-empty roads. The whipping wind didn't help things at all, and it kept causing the tails of Claire's scarf to hit her in the face. Her gray eyes kept watering, and she had to bend against the wind. Her wool hat almost flew off a few times, and she'd had to finally attach it to her head with a temporary binding spell.

She realized that despite her aversion to it, magic sure did have its uses.

She pulled her heavy purple coat closer around her, and wished not for the first time that she could have brought Donnie with her. But her sister still didn't know the truth, and Claire didn't think she needed anything else to worry about. She didn't like keeping the secret from Ella, but she hoped that one day she could introduce her twin to her...boyfriend? Somehow that didn't seem like a strong enough word for what Donatello was to her.

Both Sloan and Hannah had explained to the curly-haired witch that romantic relationships with the turtles were different than those between humans. The boys tended to get serious, fast, simply because they honestly didn't know what day would be their last, and this was coupled with the fact that they'd been afraid that they'd never get to know love in that way. So Claire really didn't think 'boyfriend' was the correct term. Perhaps...destiny, or fate would have been better. But saying that Donnie was her destiny was a little melodramatic, and Claire wasn't one for drama.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize she'd walked past her aunt's shop until she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Claire!" she heard, just before something collided with her and knocked them both into a giant snowbank. Sputtering and shivering, the curly-haired witch looked up to see her twin pinning her to the cold, hard frozen water pile.

Ella seemed thinner than Claire remembered, and her hair had been cut short, reaching her chin in a tasteful bob cut. Despite the chill of the air, she only wore a long-sleeved shirt that hugged her curves and a pair of skinny jeans.

"Ella, it's _freezing_ out here!" Claire scolded as her sister got off her and helped her out of the snow drift. "Go put a coat on and – " She looked down and saw that Ella was barefoot. " – and some _shoes_!" Claire started pushing her sister back towards the shop, grumbling about her complete disregard for her own safety. Ella just laughed and went ahead of her into the apothecary, then ran to put on a pair of warm socks. Claire gave her twin a dark look, but she guessed she couldn't blame her. After all, it had been nearly a month since she'd seen her last, and she was only excited.

As Claire began to extract herself from her many layers, her aunts came into the front room of the shop. Beatrice immediately hugged Claire, who had been halfway into pulling her sweater over her head, causing her aunt to catch her with her arms in the air and her sweater covering her head.

"Oh, dear," her mild-mannered aunt said, ignoring Claire's protests. "We _missed_ you!"

"Hrmmm ffflfffmmm gruhhmmmphhff..." Came the muffled reply from the heavy wool sweater.

"Beatrice, let the poor girl breathe," Alice came over and pulled the sweater off Claire's head, taking her hat with it. Her curly hair went wild, and she gasped as she inhaled much-needed air.

"Hello, Claire," Alice greeted, hanging up her sweater and hat with her coat.

"Hi, Aunt Alice," the witch replied, unwrapping her scarf. It got stuck in a knot, which left Claire struggling and pulling at it. "How...are you guys?"

Alice waved her fingers, and the scarf untangled itself, flew off Claire's shoulders, and hung itself on the peg with her other clothes. She sighed in relief as Alice patted her gently on the shoulder.

"If you would practice your magic more often you wouldn't have these problems."

"Please, Alice, not now," Claire groaned. "I'm here to have a nice day with you guys before I go back down to – "

"Down where?" Ella asked, coming back into the room. She glanced from Alice to Claire, who had dumbfounded looks on both their faces.

"School," Claire responded.

Ella looked confused and turned to Alice. "I thought you said it was in England?"

Her twin shrugged. "Down, up, across, whatever," she said, taking Ella's arm in hers and propelling her into the other room. She looked over her shoulder at Alice and gave her a dark look.

Her aunt just shrugged as if she was unconcerned and followed them with Beatrice behind her.

As the day wore on, more and more of her aunts' coven showed up at the door, and soon the smallish house was packed with witches, both young and old. Even though none of them were actually related (except for Claire and Ella to Beatrice and Alice), the two youngest witches called every single one of them "Aunt."

Most of them focused on Ella and her proficiency with her potions, and Claire liked it that way. She didn't want them to know the truth about why she'd left the house, or why she hadn't gotten any better with her magic.

They all prepared the mid-day meal, and it was all traditional food that Claire didn't especially like. After a month of both Mikey's and Sloan's cooking, she'd gotten spoiled by it all. But, she endured, sitting quietly between Alice and Ella, who were both so engrossed in their conversations that they paid no heed to Claire.

The more time she spent above ground, the more she missed the lair. She was surprised – she'd expected to be happy to be in the fresh air. But she supposed that the cold air had something to do with that. Once spring rolled around, she would probably be more interested in getting out of the lair. But, while winter had the city in its throes, she'd be happy to sit underground, wrapped up in Donnie's strong embrace.

"...aire? Claire, are you listening?"

"Huh?" The curly-haired witch jolted out of her thoughts to see Alice staring down at her, dark eyes suspicious.

"Claire, Dana asked you a question."

The girl blinked and turned to "Aunt" Dana, a short witch that had frizzy blond hair and eyes the color of mud.

"I asked how your studies are going over in England," Dana told her. "Ella's been regaling us with her academic exploits in the states, so I want to hear what _you've_ been up to."

_Witnessing ancient magic...becoming friends with a Greek demigod...making out on a regular basis with a giant mutant ninja turtle..._

"Um..." Claire began. "Y'know, it's...school." She tried to cover her lie by taking a hurried drink from her glass, then blanched as she realized it was real wine. She was _seventeen_, what were they thinking giving her alcohol?

"Yes, but..." Dana went on. "What's it like living there? In England?"

Claire could have sworn her heart stopped, and she glanced between her aunts. None of them had thought through the lie enough to fabricate any actual experiences for her to tell them. Then again, that probably should have been her responsibility, but she'd been too busy just being with Donnie and his family to really make up anything about the school she was supposedly attending overseas.

"Well..." she began slowly. "England is...kind of rainy. A-and it's cooler over there. The classes are interesting...but I missed the city."

"No new friends? No...boys you're interested in?" Another "aunt," this one taller than Dana and blessed with jet black hair and equally dark eyes, lightly taunted from across the table.

Claire smiled a small smile, but shook her head. She hoped she wasn't blushing. The last thing she needed was for her extended family to find out that she indeed had a boyfriend, and that they were actually serious. The next thing they'd want to know was when she would drag him home with her.

Thankfully, Claire's fabricated answers placated her coven, and they went back to discussing other things. The young witch glanced at her Aunt Alice, noticing when she gave her a surreptitious nod of approval.

_That was _entirely _too close_.

…

"Do you really have to go so soon? I mean, you just got here," Ella pleaded with her twin as Claire slowly began pulling on her layers of warm clothing.

Claire nodded, hiding her nervous habit of biting her lip by pulling her sweater over her head. "Yeah, I told you guys that I'd be here for Solstice Day. I've gotta get back – too much homework."

Her head popped through the opening, and she saw Ella pouting. Claire couldn't help but grin at it. She reached out and playfully ruffled her sister's pristinely-straight hair.

"I'm sorry I have to go back to school," she laughed, and she was both elated and saddened to find that it was getting easier to lie to Ella.

Her twin shrugged and pulled her into a crushing hug. "It's okay. Just come back soon, okay?"

Claire nodded as she pulled away, and she tried not to let the tears in Ella's eyes get to her. The younger twin turned and left the room, leaving Claire alone to redress with her aunts.

"Damn Dana and her curiosity," Alice began sullenly, crossing her arms.

"Oh, leave her alone. She was just trying to find out how Claire's been doing in school," Beatrice replied, gently hugging Claire even as she was trying to put her hat on and once again catching her in an awkward position.

"It's none of her business," Alice retorted, but dropped her surly demeanor to hug Claire. "We took the liberty of calling Donnie to walk you home," she said lowly into Claire's ear.

"B-but it's freezing outside! It's too cold for him, too dangerous. I can make it home alone."

"It's after dark, dear," Beatrice said. "And you have a long way to go. We'd feel better if you had an escort."

"And," Alice went on, pulling a large wrapped box off the entryway table. "We'd feel better if you started using _this_, as well." She put the box in Claire's hands, and the young witch was surprised to find it so heavy. For a moment she tried to figure out what it was, then she realized that it was her old spell book that her aunts had been using to train her. She raised a dark eyebrow at them and hefted her package closer, something inside her causing her to refrain from arguing about it.

"Okay," she conceded, smiling at them both.

They smiled back, then Beatrice looked beyond her out the shop door. She waved her fingers just like Alice had earlier in the day, and Claire's scarf shot off the peg and wrapped lightly around her neck.

"We love you Claire," she said, nodding towards the door. "And _he_ does, too."

The young witch looked over her shoulder to see a bundled-up Donatello standing outside the shop, his bald head covered by a purple beanie and his scarf pulled down so he could catch the now-falling snow on his tongue. Claire smiled and realized for the first time that there was a huge ache in her chest. She hadn't been paying attention to it earlier, but she knew now that she was having slight Donnie-withdrawal, and seeing him just on the other side of the wooden barrier was enough to make her even more anxious to see him. She turned back to her aunts, and they both smiled, understanding.

"I love you guys too," Claire told them before exiting the apothecary and heading straight for the turtle who had captured her heart.

…

It was the simple pleasures in life that made Donatello so content that night. New snow falling, the girl he loved nuzzling closer in the cold, the fact that Claire seemed so alive in the winter chill. She was telling him all about her day – her coven's celebration of Solstice Day – and he was trying to listen. But he kept getting distracted by the way her pale skin stood out from her dark hair, how her scarf tails kept flying out behind her. He just couldn't help himself.

He reached out and took the wool tails in his free hand (his other hand held Claire's package, as he'd taken it out of her hands upon meeting up with her) and pulled her closer, effectively cutting off all need for conversation by covering her lips with his own. As he pulled away, Claire gave a breathy laugh, and he could see dark splotches of color on her cheeks as she blushed.

"Missed me, did you?" she asked playfully.

"Mm," he replied, pulling her in for another kiss. "Just wait till we get back to the Lair and I'll _show_ you just how much I missed you."

Claire laughed again, this time louder, and pulled back just enough to slip her arms around his free one. Donatello grinned down at her as they began to move back towards the Lair.

"So," she said. "I told you all about my day. What about _yours_?"

He shrugged. "Eh, nothing too exciting. Worked on a few projects, watched Mikey play some games, worked on wrapping presents with Sloan. She's really taking this whole decorating thing seriously."

Claire nudged him. "It's her first Christmas with you guys, her first one as a mom, _and_ her first one without her parents. She's bound to be a little wound-up. Leave her be."

Donnie fell quiet, just thinking about their red-headed friend and how hard her life had recently become. Claire seemed to know exactly where his train of thought was going, as she squeezed his arm tighter. Her ability to sense what he was feeling, coupled with her being able to follow his own thought processes, were two of the things that he'd recently discovered about her. And they made him love her even more.

"She has Leo and the rest of the family, now," Claire assured him quietly. "I'm not saying that she's completely fine, but at least she's not alone. She has James to take care of, and Emily, too." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about her, okay? I'm sure that if she knew what you were doing she'd lecture you about it and tell you not to."

Donnie grinned. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I _know_ I'm right," she countered, making Donnie chuckle. "Now let's hurry up and get back to the Lair. I'm freezing, and if _I'm _cold I know _you_ must be absolutely miserable."

"How in the world can I be miserable?" he asked, nuzzling her cheek. "I have the most amazing, beautiful, and smart girl on my arm, keeping me warm. I'm perfectly fine." He grinned as Claire blushed deeper and looked away from him, then laughed as she pulled him along faster anyway.

…

"Mikey, where's that gold ribbon?" Sloan asked from her perch next to the Christmas tree. She was currently wrapping the tree with long, wide pieces of red and gold ribbon, alternating between boughs. The tree had lights and ornaments on it, and it had been topped with a giant bow made of the same ribbon that Sloan was wrapping it with.

Or, _attempting_ to wrap it. Mikey had yet to bring her the other spool of gold ribbon, and she had no idea where he'd gone. She sighed and set her hands on her hips, glancing over to see Leo holding James and talking nonsense to him. She smiled as her husband made a funny face at her son, causing the baby to just stare up at him.

"Yeah, that was a funny face, wasn't it?" he was saying, nodding along with certain words and smiling wide. "Yes it was, James. It was almost as silly as Raphael's face."

"I heard dat," the red-masked turtle said, coming into the room. He moved toward Sloan and handed her the spool of ribbon she'd sent Mikey after. "The chucklehead's a little...busy at the moment."

Sloan narrowed her eyes and opened the new spool. "You and Hannah get him back for throwing yellow paint all over your shell last week?"

He just grinned at her and turned away, and Sloan smirked back and lightly threw the plastic from the spool at the back of his head. He easily dodged and caught it, launching it into the trashcan in the kitchen.

Sloan rolled her eyes and muttered, "Show off."

Raphael just shrugged and sat down on the other end of the couch from Leo, watching his older brother interact with James. Sloan went back to wrapping the tree, even as Hannah moved into the room from the dojo, Emily in tow.

"Sloan!" the little girl exclaimed. "We stuck Mikey to the wall!"

The red-head did a double take. "You...what?"

But Emily had moved on to more important things, namely investigating the slew of the presents that had been steadily growing under the tree. Hannah came over to see Sloan's work, and filled the older girl in.

"Mikey needed to be taught a lesson," she explained, fingering a clay turtle ornament that looked like it had been made by one of the brothers many years ago. "So, we duct taped him to the dojo wall."

Sloan sighed and rolled her eyes again, shaking her head as she cut off the piece of ribbon. "How long's he been in there?"

Hannah stopped and thought about it, pulling her blond hair up into a messy bun. "Mm...about an hour."

Sloan didn't say anything; she didn't have to. She glanced up at Leo as Hannah took Emily into the kitchen, saying something about making Christmas cookies for when Donnie and Claire got home. Leo's gray-blue eyes met her own, and he gave her a reassuring smile and a nod.

"I'm going to go cut him down," he said, ignoring Raph's protests. In response, Leo gently handed him James and went to assist the youngest turtle brother.

Here was an interesting interaction to watch. Raph usually didn't hold James (normally because Mikey and Hannah tended to hog the baby boy), but when he _did_ get the rare chance to hold him, he was gentle and loving and not a bit awkward. Sloan pretended to busy herself with putting more ribbon on the tree and instead focused her attention on the red-masked turtle and her son.

"Hey there, lil' man," he was saying softly to James. "Y'know, if yer dad had paint poured onta _his_ shell, he wouldn't be so quick ta help the chucklehead. Now, don' look at me like that. You an' I both know he had it comin'. Yer dad's just a giant pushover when it comes ta Mikey. But, dat's what makes 'im such a good guy." He paused, looking around to make sure no one had heard him. "Eh...don' tell 'im I said that, 'kay?"

Sloan smiled wide at the exchange, then suddenly realized that James may be the only baby they had in the family. At least until April and Casey had children. But, Sloan knew that none of the boys would be able to experience the same kind of joy that she and Leo had been blessed with. Even though James wasn't biologically Leo's, the fact still remained that he was the blue-masked turtle's son. Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo would more than likely never be able to hold a baby in their arms that was theirs.

This realization hit Sloan hard, and she found herself suddenly trying in vain to hold back tears. She sniffed a few times, hoping that she was quiet enough so as not to attract attention to her situation. She just needed to get herself under control, she needed –

"Sloan?," she heard Raph's voice say to her, and he was much closer than he was before. She hastily wiped her eyes and looked up from her spot on the floor to see the burly turtle standing above her, holding James to him gently.

"Whassa' matter?" he asked, and Sloan stood and shook her head.

"N-nothing, Raph, it's nothing," she told him, but he didn't seem convinced.

"Hey, Sloan, listen ta me," he began, putting a finger under her chin and gently forcing her to look at him. "No more tears fer me an' Hannah, all right? We're fine, really. You need ta stop worryin' 'bout us and focus everythin' on this lil' guy right here." He nodded to James, then shifted the baby in his arms so that Sloan could see his face as well. "Isn't that right, lil' guy? Say, yer mom needs ta lighten up and be thankful that she has you an' yer dad."

Watching Raph interact so easily with James was enough to make fresh tears come to Sloan's eyes, and she tried to stem them again. She heard Raphael sigh, resigned, and suddenly his free arm was around her and pulling her to him.

"It'll be all right, Sis," he murmured to her, and she just nodded. She felt him press a kiss to her forehead, and he rubbed her back comfortingly. "Don' worry 'bout us. We'll get by."

She pulled away, and Raph reached out and wiped one of her cheeks with his thumb, then fisted his hand and gently tapped her under the chin. She smiled softly, as did the red-masked turtle.

"Chin up, Sloan," he told her. "Christmas is four days away. It's a happy time." He took her hand and led her away from the tree. "You need a break. So, you sit here on tha couch wit' James, an' once Leo gets Mikey down we'll all watch one 'a those old claymation Christmas movies. How's dat sound?"

Sloan smiled wider as she sat down and he handed over her son. She hugged the baby to her, laughing softly at the sound of James' immediate coos of contentment at being in her arms.

"That sounds perfect." She looked back up at her brother-in-law. "Thank you, Raph."

* * *

**D'awwww some Sloan/Raphael bonding over baby James :3. Forgot to mention in my note above that another reason I haven't updated this story in so long is because 1) I'm getting a crazy amount of ideas for the 4th part of the series (aka Mikey's story) and 2) I'm thinking of writing a completely unrelated Turtles story that would be under the more mature sections of the ffnet. No extremely bad language, but...eh, possibly a little citrusy. But that won't get posted until I can find where I put the dang thing...and it's on the back-burner until Mikey get a girl ;). Well, don't forget to review, and until next time, guys!**


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